“Blend in. Don’t get caught.” This tagline is basically the bulk of what “The Chameleon” game is about. This game is a fun, fast paced test of strategy and deception. 

The game itself is pretty easy to understand once you get the hang of it. Players (between 4 and 6) are given a card at random. One saying “you are the chameleon,” everyone else receiving a key to decode the word on the other card, with corresponding terms. The topic card contains 16 terms within that theme (an example is, drinks: coffee, water, soda, etc.) The key given to non-chameleons contains the number based on the dice rolled. One word is said to describe the topic/activity. The chameleon must play along and guess a word and hope it goes with the theme. After everyone says a word, players must determine who they think the chameleon is.  

This game is very entertaining and tests your ability to lie and infer what the topic is from other players, even without having the key. 

In the Courier office, we spent about an hour and a half playing and couldn’t stop laughing. The game is quick and has low stakes, with score keeping optional. It has its pros and cons. I do think that it took us a while to get the hang of the key and there were definitely some rounds where people were looking at the wrong word, causing more confusion, but it ultimately added to the fun. Playing multiple rounds did not get boring, but if it was played enough, an extension pack of new term may be necessary. It is a fun way to pass the time and is destined to provide at least a few hours of solid entertaining game play. 

4.5/5 stars.