Monolyth^*

In Monolyth, everyone builds their own block of stones from three-dimensional polyominoes, competing over coloured patches, completed levels and one shared target pattern. Phil Walker-Harding's abstract puzzle plays with one to four people aged 8 and up and runs about 30 minutes.

What is it about?

In front of you sits a 4x4 board that rises stone by stone. A randomly drawn structure card decides which finished shape this game rewards. That keeps the core task the same every round, yet no two games ever feel alike.

How it plays

1. Move the crystal marker 1 to 4 spaces clockwise.
2. Take the polyomino sitting there and place it on your board, never overhanging an edge or an empty gap.
3. Or trade the piece for a single 1x1 block of the same colour.
4. Draw a new polyomino to refill, then pass play on.

Fill a whole level and you claim the largest level token still available. Prophecy tokens along the edges pin extra goals onto your structure.

What makes it click

• Genuine 3D puzzling: shapes stack up instead of just lying side by side.
• Short rules, deep choices, a fresh dilemma every round.
• A full solo mode for quiet evenings on your own.
• Compact components that draw eyes to the table at once.

Who is it for?

Monolyth suits anyone who loves spatial puzzling and Tetris-like shapes, plus families from eight who enjoy relaxed optimisation games. If you crave heavy player interaction, though, note that each person mostly builds their own tower here.

Conclusion

Monolyth lifts the popular polyomino idea neatly into the third dimension and looks great doing it. Puzzlers get short, replayable fun with plenty of depth. Anyone after confrontation and take-that tension will miss it in this largely solitaire build-off.