SET^®

This game, published in 1988, was popular for a couple of decades, especially in the USA. It requires a special pack of 81 cards comprising all possible combinations of:

• Three colours (red, green, purple)
• Three numbers (1, 2, 3)
• Three shapes (oval, squiggle, diamond)
• Three shadings (solid, striped, hollow)

There is an array of 12 face up cards and the aim is to be the first to spot sets of three cards which are either all the same or all different in each of the four dimensions.

Some colour-blind players will have difficulty distinguishing the three colours quickly, and may find the game unplayable. It is a pity that the makers did not choose colours that almost everyone can distinguish, such as red, yellow and blue.

For further information see

• The Set page of Play Monster, who have taken from the original publishers The Set Game Company.
• Tom Maglieri's Set page