Although billed as a childrens game, HUGO, a.k.a. Midnight Party, is actually quite enjoyable by adults as a light, fun game. Each player controls a number of guests at a party, with the number of guests dependent on the number of players. These guests start the round in the spaces of the gallery on the game board, one guest per space

Hugo the ghost starts in the cellar, then climbs the stairs towards the gallery where the guests circle. The mechanism for Hugos movement is simple: On a players turn, he rolls a special die. If he gets a number, he moves his pieces; if he gets a Hugo, Hugo moves. This means that with more players in the game, Hugo moves a lot more frequently, so you must adjust your strategy accordingly.

Once Hugo has reached the gallery, the guests can start ducking into rooms adjoining the gallery to avoid him, with only one guest per room! A couple of rooms are special in that they add or subtract extra "fright points" from your score. As Hugo catches up with the remaining guests, they are sequestered on the stair steps, then in the cellar. The first guest caught "earns" the most fright points, with those caught later earning less and less.