Clapjoy's Slingo, made in IndiaPhoto: Clapjoy
Pull back, aim for the gap, let goPhoto: Clapjoy
A wooden frame with a rubber band at each endPhoto: Clapjoy
Some 3-in-1 sets add Ludo and Snakes and Ladders (this one is Play Nation's)Photo: FirstCry
Video

Traditional game

Sling Puck

Two players, ten pucks, one slot: clear your side first

Steady handsSpeed and reflexes

  • 2best with 2
  • 2–10 minper game
  • Under a minuteto set up
  • 5+years
  • Very easy
  • Nonereading

A well-made set, on Amazon.in

Made in IndiaMany makers
Buy on Amazon.in

Many brands make this game. We picked one well-made set; check its size and pieces in the listing before you buy.

Paid link. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

The game in a nutshell

Sling puck, also sold as string hockey or 'fastest finger first', is a two-player speed game: both players fire wooden pucks through a narrow slot in the middle of the board with an elastic band, at the same time, and the first to clear their own side wins. Rounds last a minute or two and there is nothing to read, so it suits children from about 5, parents who like a bit of competition, and parties where everyone takes turns playing the winner. The set we link is Clapjoy's Slingo, made in India.

Is Sling Puck right for you?

Great if

  • Two children with energy to burn, from about 5 years old
  • Parties and family get-togethers: rounds are short, so cousins can play 'winner stays on'
  • Parent against child: it's easy to even things out by giving the faster player more pucks
  • A screen-free gift that needs no reading and almost no explaining

Skip it if

  • You want a quiet game: pucks clatter, and everyone ends up shouting
  • You need something more than two people can play at the same time
  • Toddlers are around: the pucks are small and sometimes fly off the board

How Sling Puck plays

Lay the board flat on a table or the floor with one player at each end. Each player puts five pucks on their own half; Clapjoy's set comes with ten. Some families start with a countdown or a high-five, and then both players go at once. There are no turns.

  • Time to teach: about 1 minute.
  • Reading and language: Nothing to read at all. Anyone who has watched one round can play, whatever language they speak at home.
Pull back, aim for the gap, let go · Photo: Clapjoy

How to Play Speed Pucks - Sling Puck Board Game Review · Kent Select

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Your turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Load

    Both players put five pucks on their own half of the board. There are no turns: on 'go', both of you play at the same time.

  2. 2
    Fire

    Pull a puck back against the elastic band at your end and let go, aiming for the slot in the middle wall. Missed? Grab it and fire again.

  3. 3
    Win

    The first player with no pucks left on their side wins the round. Play best of five, and swap ends to keep it fair.

Read the rulesSlingo Fastest Finger First - how to play (Clapjoy product page) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Sling Puck goes

To shoot, hold a puck against the elastic band at your end, pull it back, aim at the slot in the middle wall and let go. If the puck goes through, it's now your opponent's problem. If it bounces back, grab it and fire again. You may only launch pucks with the band, never push or throw them through by hand.

The first player with no pucks left on their side wins the round. Rounds are often over in a minute or two, so play best of five, or first to three wins, and swap ends now and then to keep it fair.

Pucks jam in the slot all the time. A stuck puck may only be knocked through by shooting another puck at it, not poked with a finger. Agree before you start what happens when a puck flies off the board: in some rules the player whose side it left fetches it and plays on, in others it is out for that round.

To give a younger child a chance, start the stronger player with more pucks, say seven against three. Practised players hold the band back with one hand and feed pucks with the other to shoot faster. Clapjoy also makes a 3-in-1 board with Ludo and Snakes and Ladders on the back, if you want more than one game in the cupboard.

What's in the box

A wooden frame with a rubber band at each end · Photo: Clapjoy
  • 1Wooden sling-puck board
    about 59 x 32 x 4 cm, with a centre wall and slot, and an elastic band across each end
  • 10Pucks
    wooden discs, five per player (Clapjoy calls them 'coins')

Box: 59 × 32 × 4 cm, 1.5 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

From Clapjoy's own product page: '1x Table board, 10x Coins'. Clapjoy doesn't list spare elastic bands or a rules leaflet; the short rules are on its product page. Clapjoy's 3-in-1 board adds Ludo and Snakes and Ladders on the reverse, and its smaller Slingo Space board is for ages 4 and up.

Where to buy

Amazon.inOur pick of the sets

A well-made set, on Amazon.in

Many brands make this game. We picked one well-made set; check its size and pieces in the listing before you buy.

Buy on Amazon.in

Opens Amazon.in in a new tab.

Sling-puck boards sold in India are made here by Indian toy brands, so there's no reason to import one. The link goes to Clapjoy's Slingo, which Clapjoy's own website marks Made in India and BIS certified. Branded European and American versions, such as Passe-Trappe from France and Fastrack from the US, cost much more and play the same game.

How to pick a good setWhat to check in the listing before you buy.
  • Size: a bigger board gives longer, wilder rounds. Clapjoy's is about 59 x 32 cm; compact boards of around 38 x 23 cm suit small hands and travel, but rounds end faster.
  • Wood and surface: the playing surface should be smooth and sealed so pucks slide freely, with no warping. Most listings, Clapjoy's included, just say 'wooden', so look closely at the photos for a solid frame and thick walls.
  • The slot: the gap in the middle wall should be only a little wider than one puck. That makes pucks jam, which is part of the game; a slot wide enough for two pucks makes it too easy.
  • Elastic bands: they should be thick and springy, pulled tight across each end, and held in grooves or pegs so you can replace them. Bands slacken with heavy use, and Clapjoy doesn't list spares, so keep a couple of thick rubber bands handy.
  • Pucks: ten (five each) is the usual number. They should be flat, round, the same thickness and smooth underneath. Pucks roll under sofas, so a set with spares is a bonus.
  • Edges: sanded, rounded corners and walls tall enough to keep most pucks on the board. Pucks do jump, so younger children should play with an adult nearby.
  • Safety mark: toys sold in India must carry the ISI mark with a BIS licence number on the toy or its box, under the Toys (Quality Control) Order in force since January 2021. Clapjoy says all its toys are BIS certified; check for the mark when the box arrives.

We link to one well-made set from a maker we could identify; other good sets exist. We don't show prices: Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery. Paid link. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

What reviewers and players say

Sling puck is all about speed and noise. Reviewers of the branded versions describe rounds that can be over in a couple of minutes and evenly matched players wearing each other out, which is the whole point. They like that it needs almost no explaining, that you get better with practice, and that it's easy to handicap so a parent and child can have a close game. The downsides are the obvious ones: only two can play at once, pucks jam and fly off the board, and very fast shooting can be hard on fingers. We found no independent review of Clapjoy's own set; these points come from reviews of the same game under other names.

What people love

  • It's quick to pick up: one reviewer called it 'almost self-explanatory'
  • Rounds are short, so everyone in the room gets a go
  • It's a skill game, and you get faster and more accurate with practice
  • It's easy to handicap: give the stronger player more pucks so a child can beat an adult

Common complaints

  • Only two people can play at a time; at a party the rest wait their turn
  • Pucks jam in the slot and fly off the board, so rounds get chaotic
  • Fast shooting can be hard on fingers; one reviewer links the rule against poking a stuck puck free to the risk of finger injuries
Based on 5 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

More like Sling Puck

Our picks if Sling Puck isn't quite right

Feature
Sling Puck box Sling Puck
 Carrom box Carrom Dobble box Dobble Jenga box Jenga
Players22–42–81–8
Best with22 or 43-63-5
Play time2–10 min15–60 min15 min5–15 min
Age5+8+6+6+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionYesYesYesYes
Why look at itThis pageIndia's favourite flicking game, with more aim and less frenzyAnother fast reaction game, for up to eight playersA wooden hand-skill game, slow and nervy instead of fast

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Also worth a look (not in our catalogue yet): Klask – A two-player Danish table game with magnets and a ball, not elastic bands.

Questions people ask about Sling Puck

Where does the sling puck game come from?

Nobody owns it, and no inventor is recorded for the generic game. Branded versions have been sold in France as Passe-Trappe and Pucket by the maker Ferti, and in North America as Fastrack by Blue Orange Games, all credited to the French designer Jean-Marie Albert; a 2011 review of Fastrack noted that the idea itself was older. The 'fastest finger first' and string hockey boards sold in India play the same game under generic names.

Is sling puck the same as Klask?

No. Klask, made in Denmark in 2014 by Mikkel Bertelsen, is more like air hockey: you steer a striker with a magnet under the board and try to knock a ball into your opponent's goal. In sling puck you fire pucks through a slot with an elastic band, and the first to empty their side wins.

How many pucks come with a sling puck board?

Usually ten, five for each player, and that's what Clapjoy's Slingo has. Some European versions use more; the Pucket rules give each player eight. You can change the numbers to make a game fairer between a fast and a slow player.

What age is a sling puck game suitable for?

Clapjoy rates its Slingo for ages 5 and up, and its smaller Slingo Space for 4 and up. Young children pick it up at once, but the pucks are small and sometimes jump off the board, so keep an eye on them. Teenagers and adults get very competitive at it too.

What do I do if the elastic band breaks or goes slack?

The bands get the most wear, so check before you buy that they sit in grooves or around pegs and can be swapped. A thick rubber band or a length of round elastic cord of a similar size usually does the job. Clapjoy doesn't list spare bands with its set.

Game facts

Publisher
Clapjoy (Clap Joy Innovations Pvt. Ltd.)
In India
Clap Joy Innovations Pvt. Ltd. (Delhi NCR; part-owned by DOMS Industries)
Players
2
Barcode
880028905446
Language
No reading – Nothing to read at all. Anyone who has watched one round can play, whatever language they speak at home.
Box size and weight
59 × 32 × 4 cm, 1.5 kg
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.