ICECOOL2 is an expansion – but also standalone game – to its predecessor, ICECOOL. If you say the name out loud it sounds a bit like ‘Ice School’, which is exactly where this game takes place. In a school, filled with ice. A school for penguins, that are skipping class and trying to skid around the halls to collect fish…

Like Brian Gomez’s original, ICECOOL2 is a flicking game that will test your dexterity skills. It comes with four plastic penguins with rounded bases, which are bottom-heavy. When you flick them, they wobble in an erratic manner, mimicking a penguin slipping on a real icy surface.

Three players are truant penguins, trying to skid their way around the school. The aim’s the same: collect wooden fish that sit above doorways. Players gain these as they flick their penguin through the doorway. It’s easier said than done, though! These fish are like pegs and they clip the school layout together. Even the base of ICECOOL2’s box gets used to construct the school!

This plays almost identical to ICECOOL, but it comes with trickshots on the 1-point fish cards. Combine this board with the original ICECOOL though, and you can build a giant school layout. The rulebook offers suggested designs, or you can get creative and construct your own.

There’s the option to play the classic mode in a higher player count (where you play with two hall monitors). Or, you can play a race mode, where four players take control of two penguins each. Together, these penguins have to collect all six of their coloured fish, before making it back to the start. ICECOOL2 can also accommodate eight players, where it becomes a four-way team game!

ICECOOL2 is a gem of a dexterity game, which appeals to both children and adults alike.

Player Count: 2-4 players (up to 8, if combined with ICECOOL)
Time: 30 minutes
Age: 6+