Description

The playing area consists of four transparent square boards, made of ICI Perspex acrylic, each containing a 4 x 4 array of depressions. The boards are assembled prior to play, and using the 12 supplied Perspex support rods, in the form of a set of offset steps: the lowest is on the right and to the fore, the next one up is back a little and to the left, the next is at the back and to the right, and the highest is at back left. Each of the two players is allocated a pair of boards, a lower one and the upper one on the same side. Each player has 16 glass marbles (also referred to as 'pieces' or 'ollys') in his own colour (black or white) which he/she initially places in the depressions of his/her lower board.
Each player's aim is to be the first to get four of their marbles on the opponent's lower board. Marbles move up to the owner's upper board, across to the opponent's upper board, and thence down to the opponent's lower board, governed by a set of rules stating what moves are permissible. When pieces move across to the opponent's upper board, it is possible to capture opposing marbles, and these may be taken back and re-entered when the opponent gets a marble into his/her target lower board.
The game is one of pure strategy, with no randomising element, but has some similarities to Backgammon.

• The configurations of the boards may be varied slightly but this has no bearing on the game play.
• The game comes with a separate rule sheet for a solitaire version.
• An enclosed sheet states that "additional games will soon be available that can be played on the REFRACTION board, for 1, 2, or 4 players".
• The name of the game is spelled in capital letters throughout the box and printed enclosures.
• The following tag lines are used:
  • The Ultimate Game
  • The Three Dimensional Strategy Game Of The 21st Century
  • The Game Of The 21st Century
  • 3D Game