Printworks Pick Up Sticks

The game that makes everyone suddenly realise how unsteady their hands are.

Printworks has taken Pick-Up Sticks and made it look considerably better than the version you probably remember, with slim wooden sticks in deep burgundy, bright blue, coral pink and pale grey, all packed into a smart grey box. It’s simple, good-looking and exactly the sort of game that can sit out on a shelf waiting for someone to suggest a round.

Scatter the sticks into a pile, then take turns trying to remove them one at a time without disturbing anything else. That’s it. Except, of course, the apparently easy stick you choose will somehow move three others and the person playing after you will effortlessly extract the impossible one.

There’s something very satisfying about a game this uncomplicated. No board to set up, no lengthy instructions and no commitment to an entire evening. Children can play it, adults get unexpectedly invested in it, and you can be halfway through a game within minutes of opening the box.

A very simple classic, made much nicer.