It’s a rainy day here in St. Louis and that means a day for board games.
It’s truly amazing how many board games are available now, but I always find myself gravitating towards the ones I loved as a child. I want to share them with my own children. About a year ago, while visiting my parents, I introduced my oldest son to one of my favorite games as a child, Mastermind.
The problem when I was growing up was that I loved it more than my sisters, and it’s definitely a two player game. I think they never wanted to play with me because I was so awesome at it. At least that’s what I tell myself. <wink>
I was really excited that my son seemed to love it as much as I did. I was sad that even though it was during the holiday season last year, I couldn’t find it in a store. Thankfully Amazon came to the rescue. Amazon really needs to incorporate a super hero cape into their logo, I find nearly everything I need there when I can’t find it elsewhere!
Mastermind classic version
We promptly purchased the classic version of Mastermind, stashed it for a Christmas gift and forgot about it… for MONTHS! It resurfaced, we decided we’d save it for his birthday and again, we forgot about it for months! Earlier this summer I discovered @MastermindGame on twitter, and went searching the house for our game.
Photo from Forrestinavintage.blogspot.com
Unlike the old version at my parent’s house that has a brown base and primary colored pegs, the new version is vibrant and inviting to children (and adults). The current version also a includes covered pocket to hold the pegs that are not in use. I cheered when I saw this because I remembered the mess we used to make as children with the pegs just rolling around in the box.
I was really excited when @MastermindGame offered me the opportunity to review some of their new versions on Twitter. I really, truly love the game and encounter many people who have never heard of it before. They sent me a free Mastermind Attache to review.
The game is pretty simple to understand. One player creates a four peg “code” with the included large pegs, the other player has to guess the code by the time they reach the end of the board. The tricky part of the game is learning to “score” your opponents guesses. This part seems to trip a lot of people up, but it’s not too difficult. Included in the game are smaller white and pink pegs. The instructions tell you to place one white peg in the scoring side of the board for each correct color peg that is in the incorrect position and one pink peg for each peg that is the correct color in the correct position.
The thing I really like about Mastermind is that it allows creativity and adaptation for players of any age. You can make it as difficult or as easy as you like with house rules or different rules each round. For younger children, you can limit the colors used. If your child is learning about patterns at school, you can say “This round you must create a code with an ABAB pattern” to reinforce the lesson. Really the options are only limited by your imagination. This does mean that each game’s difficulty can vary greatly depending on your opponent. (I haven’t played with my husband yet, which is probably a good thing.)
For the Attache Edition, I should make note that this is NOT a travel edition, that’s a different version. I learned this quickly when I tried to close the case mid-game. The pegs do not stay in place. While this may be a deterrent if you are looking for a travel game, it really creates a quick way to clear the board to start a new game. For that reason, I’d recommend the attache version for elementary age children over the classic version. The attache is also great if you want to take the game with you. It’s perfect for a game night, sleepover, or if the kids just want to take it to a friend’s house to share. The zippered case also means it won’t make a huge mess if someone accidentally knocks it off the game shelf.
Pros:
* Zippered case
* Easy to clear board after round
* Bright pegs
* Closed storage for unused pegs
* Adaptable for many ages
Cons:
* Not a travel game
* Can be difficult to score
* Game difficulty depends on opponent
Interested in trying Mastermind for your family? Pressman Toys has generously offered to giveaway Mastermind games to THREE of my readers! Isn’t that amazing? I hope you all love it as much as I do!
For your first entry:
Visit Pressman Toys to check out all of their games, return here and leave a comment to tell me which other game you like. Please remember though, this giveaway is only for Mastermind.
For additional entries:
For one extra entry each:
- Follow @wistfulwrists on Twitter
- Like WistfulWrists on Facebook.
- Follow @mastermindgame on Twitter
Please come back here and leave a separate comment for each entry.
For one extra entry each day, you can tweet about the giveaway. Tweet must include @wistfulwrists and a direct link to this post.
Feel free to use this example tweet:
I entered to win @MastermindGame from @WistfulWrists. You can too: http://bit.ly/aQCsr4
Rules: Only one of each entry method listed per person, family or household. Use of multiple accounts or identities are not allowed. Contest ends Sunday, September 19, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Winner will be chosen via random number generator on Monday, September 20 and notified by e-mail. Any violation of these rules will result in disqualification from this and future giveaways on this blog.
Disclosure: I was provided a free Mastermind Attache version game for review. The classic version was my own purchase and all opinions are my own.
I love Mastermind – we had the brown version growing up also. I like a lot of other games they have, probably Triomonos would be my other favorite of theirs.
I follow you on twitter via @RobynsWorld
I like you on facebook
I follow @mastermindgame on twitter also via @RobynsWorld
I tweeted http://twitter.com/RobynsWorld/status/24130468220
I would like NCIS the board game.
I follow Follow @mastermindgame on Twitter as @cstironkat
daily tweet http://twitter.com/cstironkat/status/24137222101
Wow, this is a blast from the past! I’d love to get reacquainted with this game! From their website I gravitate toward the puzzles as I have two big puzzle addicts in my house and we’re in need of some new 100 piece options.
daily tweet http://twitter.com/cstironkat/status/24228300408
I liked the Office DVD Board Game. My family loves The Office. I just may have to add that to my Christmas list! Thank you for the giveaway!
I follow WistfulWrists on Twitter @kellyblackwell
I like Wistfulwrists on Facebook.
I follow mastermind game on Twitter @kellyblackwell
Tweet
http://twitter.com/kellyblackwell/status/24238157817
Tweet
http://twitter.com/kellyblackwell/status/24238157817
daily tweet http://twitter.com/cstironkat/status/24314843555
Tweet for the day.
http://twitter.com/kellyblackwell/status/24317236532
Tweeting today.
http://twitter.com/kellyblackwell/status/24410719101
kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com
daily tweet http://twitter.com/cstironkat/status/24420215175
daily tweet http://twitter.com/cstironkat/status/24520909481
Daily Tweet
http://twitter.com/kellyblackwell/status/24521751672
kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com
Daily Tweet
http://twitter.com/kellyblackwell/status/24613237833
kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com
daily tweet http://twitter.com/cstironkat/status/24620750517
daily tweet http://twitter.com/cstironkat/status/24702619923
daily tweet http://twitter.com/cstironkat/status/24802977452
Daily Tweet.
http://twitter.com/kellyblackwell/status/24803063702
kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com
Daily Tweet
http://twitter.com/kellyblackwell/status/24906686540
kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com
I would love Smath
I follow @mastermindgame on Twitter
I follow @wistfulwrists on Twitter
Okeedoke! I likey Wistful Wrists on FB!
hmmm… making me follow mastermind on twitter, eh? Ok, ok, I’m game (baDUMbum!)
Visited Pressman, really am lookign forward to Animal Mastermind Towers with the 4 year old lad, at your recommendation – THANKS!
Looks like Silly Socks won a bunch of awards and is in our kids’ game age range, so maybe we’ll be checking that out for Christmas. Or just because!
Daily Tweet.
kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com
http://twitter.com/kellyblackwell/status/24974451859
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