Matthew BaileyToday we’re looking at Wizardry to the Power of Three, a children’s game from Pegasus Games—a sub-brand of Pegasus Spiele often used in English-speaking regions.
Played here with Jack (9) and Toby (6).
When this game arrived on my doorstep, I didn’t really know what to expect, but it has a really strong table presence. After a game or two, both the boys and I ended up having a real soft spot for it.
The general idea behind the game’s story is very Harry Potter-esque. You play as a group of second-form wizards who’ve snuck out to the secret midnight market to buy some special magical gear. Willy, the warden ghost, has discovered your escapade and is hot on your trail, trying to catch you and stick you in some kind of magical detention. You need to get back to school as quickly as possible, guided by little wisps called Lumies that illuminate the path and help you find your way home.
Gameplay-wise, it’s a co-operative memory game where players take on the role of the young wizards racing through the forest. You’ve got to reach the school before the ghost catches you.
You begin by placing the board, putting the ghost on the ghost marker, and placing all the wizards on the starting space. Then you scatter the Lumie tokens around the board randomly, so you don’t know which is which.
On your turn, you roll three dice. These show the three Lumies you’ll be trying to find. You then turn over tiles, hoping to find matching images, while also working together as a group to remember where things are. As the game progresses, ideally you get better at locating each symbol reliably.
If you find the wrong Lumie, your turn ends. If you roll a ghost or uncover the ghost token, the ghost moves forward an extra space—bringing it ever closer to catching the players. You might also roll a magic potion, which lets you move one player (not necessarily yourself) one space forward—usually whoever is furthest behind.
Players also have access to a one-use special ability: either a magic potion (for an extra move) or a dice enchantment (to re-roll dice). These help to mitigate bad luck—especially useful early in the game.
At the end of each round, the ghost moves forward the number of spaces shown on its current tile. It starts at one, but this quickly ramps up to two and eventually three. Fortunately, as the ghost gets faster, players usually have a better idea of where the Lumies are, which helps to balance the tension.
Once you reach the stairs of the school, there’s a clever twist in the rules: you’re no longer allowed to talk about where things are. You have to be quiet—sneaking in, after all—and rely solely on your own memory. I really liked this change. It means you can’t just lean on one person in the group who’s got a photographic memory. We found this particularly tough—Toby, the youngest, was actually the best at remembering where things were, and I realised just how rubbish I was when we got to that final section.
Speaking of difficulty, this game is surprisingly tough! We played about four times across different difficulty levels, and we only managed to win twice. That’s a good thing. Far too often, children’s co-op games are a bit too easy, and this one definitely isn’t. In fact, we found it harder during a second playthrough in the same session—once you’ve shuffled the tokens again, it’s easy to get mixed up between where things were in the last game and where they are now.
In terms of production, it looks lovely on the table. The cardboard school cutout is a nice touch. The board itself is simple but full of personality, with charming artwork. I really like the wooden tokens. The ghost is very reminiscent of the one in Ghost Blitz, which works well, and I liked the wooden tokens for the students, although I do wish they had been meeples. Still, they work well and feel nice in the hand, as do the big chunky dice.
All in all, if you like memory games—and especially co-operative ones—Wizardry to the Power of Three is really lovely to play. If this is your kind of game, it’s definitely one worth adding to your collection.
Disclaimer – “Wizardry to the Power of Three” was provided by “Pegasus Spiele” for the purpose of review. All of our thoughts and opinions are our own.
