Robert Diel at Cat & Mouse

Store owner Linda Schmidt has a passion for games—the old-school kind: board games, card games and the like. “I used to play PC games quite a bit, before I went into IT,” she admits. “Then I had to get away from the computer.” Prompted by a desire to change vocations, she hatched the idea, more than a year ago, of starting her own game store. In September, Schmidt and her husband opened the bright and airy Cat & Mouse. (“Great time to switch careers and go into retail, huh?” she quips.)

Bucktown resident Robert Diel has walked by the storefront on Armitage, but admits he never paid Cat & Mouse much attention, assuming it was an alternative pet-accessory store. An executive art director for an ad agency downtown, Diel builds Flash-animation websites during business hours; at home, he’s a husband, a father of two and a die-hard video-gamer who owns every current console and plays at least an hour each day. We decided to throw the two parties together: Would a digital-gaming savage find anything to embrace in this analog wonderland?

A bit to Robert’s own surprise, the answer was a definite yes. While (ahem) game for the experiment, he admitted to us beforehand that he was unlikely to purchase anything—but that changed once he checked out the merch on the smartly arranged shelves. “I think I’m buying a few things,” he enthused.

Schmidt and husband Andre Lemoine, an eighth-grade teacher, carry almost no Milton Bradley–style standards; instead, their kids’ section prioritizes games that are educational as well as entertaining. We did spot a few famous games, like Boggle and Scrabble (“It helps some people to have a comfort level when they shop,” Schmidt says), plus some clever card games that never quite became ubiquitous hits—decks like Mille Bornes, Pit, Fluxx and the Great Dalmuti. Mostly, Schmidt and Lemoine stock little-known creations for adults, from puzzles to role-playing scenarios, often from indie or European companies.

In addition to the enormous selection, Cat & Mouse offers a perk you can’t find at any big box: They’re open until 10 every Tuesday for game night, a free event where people show up to learn and play a new game. Although he’d never renounce his computer and hand-held consoles, the Tuesday-night social sparks Diel’s interest—if only he could get out of his child-care duties.

Cat & Mouse, 2212 W Armitage Ave (773-384-4454).

1 Klimt “The Kiss” (puzzle), $18
“It reminds me of the times when I’d do puzzles with my dad and grandmother.”

2 Bananagrams (word game), $15
“My wife’s mom is a Scrabble fanatic, and I think she’d really like this.”

3 36 Cube (brain-teaser), $25
“This Soduku-esque game looks pretty impossible. The design is interesting. It’d be cool to have around to play while I’m keeping an eye on my daughter.”

4 Zombies!!! (board game), $28
“It just looks cool ’cause it’s zombies, and it’s a strategy game.”

5 Little Golden Books First Puzzles, $10
“For my 2-year-old daughter. These each have four pieces, so that seems like an easy introduction.”