Serengeti Sanctuary

Serengeti Sanctuary is a game for one to four players aged 7+ which takes 30 to 60 minutes to play (about 15 to 20 minutes in solo mode). The game has a wildlife conservation theme, and features beautifully designed cards with wild animals from the Serengeti and a range of African terrain settings. The players seek to expand their wildlife reserves as successfully as possible.

Each turn the players draft cards from the play area following simple rules. They also have park staff members who give extra drafting abilities. The aim is to build sets of animals and therefore accumulate a growing score. Once the drafting is completed, players take turns to choose how many of their cards to play. The score they achieve is added to the victory track, and the points gained that turn are also used to enhance their staff team and gain sanctuary tokens. Players can also use points to hold cards between turns, with the aim of building even better sets. Once a player reaches 50 points or more the game ends, with victory for the highest score.

Serengeti Sanctuary marries a beautifully presented and iconic theme with nicely judged game-play. There are many paths to victory, and the outcome is unclear until the last moment. It works beautifully as a light game for a wide range of ages. Simple to learn, the game-play has surprising depths and re-playability is high.

When playing the game in solo mode you use exactly the same rules. The target of 50 points must be achieved in three rounds for a solo victory.

The game was the leading finalist in the Ravensburger 2023 'Next Big Family Game' Gamefound tie-in competition.