Das Kleine Gespenst

About this board game

Das Kleine Gespenst is a children’s game for 2–4 players, with a playing time of about 15 minutes. Based on Otfried Preussler’s book, it invites players aged 5 and up to join the little ghost during the witching hour.

At the stroke of midnight, the players explore the dark halls of Castle Eulenstein. Whenever the great clock in the city hall marks another passing hour, a picture appears in one of the viewing windows. The players must then find what is shown behind the castle’s closed doors.

Opening those doors requires a mysterious magnetic set of keys. The keys open the old castle doors as if guided by the hand of a ghost. Every correctly opened door earns a gleaming cannonball.

• Explore the dark halls of Castle Eulenstein.
• Use magnetic keys to open the castle doors.
• Search for the object shown in the viewing window.
• Collect cannonballs for the final challenge.

The number of cannonballs needed for victory is not decided until the final dexterity game in the knight’s hall. This closing challenge gives the game its decisive finish, after the players have spent the witching hour searching through the castle.

With its storybook setting, changing pictures, magnetic door-opening mechanism, and hands-on finale, Das Kleine Gespenst combines a simple search through a haunted castle with a physical test at the end. Its short play time makes it well suited to young players looking for an engaging ghostly adventure.