Looney Labs will release a revamped version of its inductive logic game Zendo in December.

Looney Labs has been promising a new version of Zendo since it launched Pyramid Arcade (see “'Zendo 2.0'”). The popular game won the Mensa Select Award and the Origins Award for best abstract board game in 2003 (see “Origins Award Winners For 2003”).

The inductive logic game challenges players to figure out a secret rule, with one person acting as moderator, providing answers to questions about the secret rule. Players take turns building structures with the pieces, hoping to learn new insights about the unknown rule. The new version includes more shapes to play with: pyramids, wedges, and blocks; as well as the removal of Buddhist themes from the terminology (koan, mondo, master, Buddha-nature). The game now uses more straight-forward language to describe the facets of the game (structure, quiz, moderator, following/not following the secret rule).

The box includes 27 pyramids (9 red, 9 yellow, 9 blue), 27 wedges (9 red, 9 yellow, 9 blue), 27 blocks (9 red, 9 yellow, 9 blue), 27 black discs, 27 green cubes, 40 rule cards, 2 clips to attach to cards, 2 instruction booklets (Getting Started and Going Deeper). The game is for 2 – 6 players, ages 12 and up, and plays in 15 – 60 minutes. MSRP is $40.00.