Controls

You play by rolling the die on your turn. Each number on the die matches a specific body part, and rolling that number lets you add the part, if you are allowed to yet.

The parts must be added in a sensible order:

• The body first is required before anything else. You cannot start attaching parts until you roll the number that gives you the body.
• Attachments in order follow the body: the head comes next, and only once you have a head can the eyes and feelers attach to it. Legs attach to the body.

Rolling a part you cannot use yet, like eyes before a head, simply does nothing that turn, so the order of your rolls matters as much as the numbers.

The first player to complete a whole beetle wins. The difficulty rises across eight levels for a steadily quicker race.

Tips

• Understand you need the body first. Nothing else can be added until you roll the body, so early on your only useful roll is that one number, and everything else has to wait.
• Learn the part order. Knowing that the head must come before the eyes and feelers helps you see which of your rolls actually count and which are wasted, which keeps the race clear in your head.
• Don't get discouraged by wasted rolls. Rolling a part you cannot use yet is normal and happens to everyone, including the computer, so a couple of dead turns rarely decides the game.
• Keep an eye on the opponent's beetle. Watching how close the computer is to finishing tells you whether the race is tight, though there is little you can do but keep rolling for what you need.
• Enjoy the randomness. Beetle is a luck game by design, so the fun is in the swings of the dice rather than clever play, which makes it a relaxing break rather than a brain-teaser.
• Play it with younger players. The simple rules and drawing theme make it a great game to share with kids, since there is nothing to master and every roll brings a small bit of progress.

Frequently asked questions