Coda

Coda won't force you to use all your brain cells, so if that's what you look for in a deduction game, don't pick up this game. But if you would enjoy a light 20-minute deduction game, Coda's for you.

The goal of Coda is to reveal all of your opponents' secret codes before they uncover yours. Each player begins by drawing three or four (depending on the number of players) numbered plastic tiles from a face-down pile. After each player lines up the tiles in numeric order so that only he or she can see them, play begins.

On your turn, draw a new tile from the face-down supply and set it to the side of your lineup. Choose a tile in any opponent's array, and then attempt to identify it (e.g. "This is a Dark 3."). If you're correct, the opponent reveals the tile. If you're wrong, you must show the tile you drew from the pile and insert it into your lineup, in sequential order. As long as you make correct guesses, you can keep guessing additional tiles. If you decided to end your turn before making an incorrect guess, you can add the tile you drew into your lineup without revealing it, making your code longer.

Play continues until only one player has an unrevealed tile. That player is the winner.

Advanced rules introduce two dash ("-") tiles, one light and one dark, which serve as wild cards and add a bit more challenge.

There are deeper and more brain-burning deduction games available -- Code 777 and Black Vienna jump to mind. But Coda fits a niche that, for me, was previously unfilled: a deduction game that plays quickly and always leaves me wanting to play it again immediately.