There are things that are hard to understand if you do not have the necessary background. For instance, the Spanish Mortadelo y Filemón game will hardly make sense for anyone but Spaniards, while anyone in Spain knows who "Mortadelo y Filemón" are; there is no need to explain anything else about the game or the meaning of the jokes to a Spaniard (no matter the age).

The same thing happens with Fantozzi outside of Italy. Fortunately, my friend Roberto, from Rome, is always there to lend a hand when needed. Thanks to him, I am aware that Fantozzi is very popular in Italy due to a famous comedy film saga (with 10 films released between 1975 and 1999). They are a parody of middle class workers of the 1970s, brimming with surreal humor, many scenes of which have entered Italian popular culture.

In the third movie of the series, titled "Fantozzi contro tutti", from 1980, we find one of the scenes that has entered popular culture, a cycling race in which subdued employees are obliged to take part by their dictatorial boss. If you are going to play this game, it is strongly advised that you watch this video first, at least from minute 16:45, when the cycling begins. Even to continue reading this review it would be a good idea to watch the scene.

In case you don't grasp it, let me tell you that Roberto, an otherwise gentle and cultivated soul, finds this episode "very funny" and adds that " it's a legendary movie among people my age". (We are roughly the same age, by the way). Speaking of funny things, if you don't understand Italian well and try the self-generated subtitles -and the self-generated translation!- be prepared for some kind of psychedelic experience: IA has no sense of humour and does not get the jokes!

 

The game come in a sturdy 31.5 x 22.5 x 4.5 cm box, and the board measures 60 x 40 cm.
 

Quoting from the publisher: "COPPA COBRAM is a crazy cycling race in which players will have to do all kinds of mischief to win. In the course there are several obstacles to overcome, a deck of bonus cards to damage the opponents or benefit themselves and finally a deck of malus cards that represents penalties that players will have to fish at certain points of the course".

Yeah, I could have rewritten that paragraph, but what for? I could also have used an IA paraphraser, but after what I have just said about IA (and what I actually think of it), it did not seem appropriate.

Off topic: What I think of IA can be said in just one word: oxymoron. Beat that, AI!

 

Quoting again from the publisher: "At the beginning of the turn all players simultaneously choose a character card from their hands to play. Once everyone has chosen, they reveal themselves; double cards cancel each other out. Players calculate their movements or supplies, starting from the lowest number. When a player gets his supply, he draws a bonus card".

So there is something to the game after all. At least some laughs are guaranteed.

 

Of course, the popularity of the Fantozzi saga, and of this particular scene, is attested by the fact that a game like this has been made almost 40 years after the film release. But there is more than that. In 2014 Fantozzi fans created a real cycling race inspired by the film, which is about to celebrate its eight edition at the time of writing. It is described as an "amateur and crazy cycling race at moderate speed, absolutely non-competitive, and with a limited number of people", but it makes me wonder if I should have included this game in the list of games that represent actual cycling races. I have not, but you can always let me know your opinion about it.