Trouble is my middle name!
Written: Jan 02 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Simple, easy to play, inexpensive, and lots of fun!
Cons: none!
The Bottom Line: This is an absolute gem of a game! Simple, easy to play, inexpensive, and tons of fun!
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| MumMumMum's Full Review: |
Or at least it is my six-year-old daughter’s middle name since she received Milton Bradley’s Popomatic Trouble Game for Christmas this year! She begged, pleaded, and occasionally whined for this game for Christmas. As a result Santa gave in and brought Trouble into our home!
What is Trouble?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for a long time, you already know the game Trouble. I am not sure how long this game has been around, but I played it when I was a kid. (I am not going to tell you how long ago that was….suffice to say that I have a twenty-one-year-old son!) This classic game has been going strong for many years, and I daresay it will continue to be a perennial favourite for many years to come. But enough of my ramblings….you want to know about the game, don’t you! So here’s a step by step for those uninitiated out there!
We open the brightly coloured box and discover….yes! A basic board game! A plastic game unit with the Pop-o-matic die-roller and square game board that fits very easily together, and 16 plastic playing pegs. Pop on the four rubber game board feet that keep the game from moving around when playing and you’re basically ready to go!
In the centre of the board is the Pop-o-matic die-roller. (I have a problem here….I always say dice, but I know the singular of dice is die, and I’m trying to improve my grammar…a New Year’s resolution of sorts….but its so hard to do when I ramble on and on and on like I do….oh, sorry!) Inside this “bubble” is the die, and when you push down on the “bubble” that is the die-roller it pops thus “rolling” your die for you. This is such an ingenious idea! No more lost dice, die, whatever….no cheating…sigh.
In each corner is what we call Home Base. This is where the plastic playing pegs come in. There are four circular “pockets” (for want of a better word), that the pegs fit into. Each corner has its own colour, red, blue, green and yellow, with four matching pegs. These pockets go all the way around the board as well. This is another ingenious idea! Your pegs aren’t at the mercy of excited children “wonking” the board, thus losing your place! The object of the game is to be the first player to move all four of your pegs around the gameboard and into your Finish Line which is back at your corner.
You begin the game by popping the die. The player with the highest number goes first. In our house we have chosen to have the player that was unmercifully “slaughtered” in the previous game go first. This means that I have the honour of going first….every single time! (Did I mention that cheating is next to impossible because of the Pop-o-matic die-roller?……sigh….) In order to move out of your home position you must roll a six. For some reason this is a near impossible feat for me….but my daughter? That’s another story! When a player pops a six they are also given an additional turn. So, when you pop a six you move your peg from home into the start position and you’re off, always moving clockwise of course! (Just an aside here, but can you imagine if suddenly all game rules were changed to moving counter clockwise? I would be completely lost!)
As you move around the board you have the opportunity to bump-back other player’s pegs by landing on the space they’re occupying. (Which of course happens to me nine out of ten times I actually manage to get onto the playing track! I keep looking for the neon sign above my pegs that says “Hit Me!”) Bump-back means returning that player’s piece to their home base, thus requiring them to roll that dad-blamed six again to get started. Oh, and you cannot land on your own pegs. Also, you have to have the exact number required to get your peg into the finish line. And thankfully, a peg cannot go around the board more than once…..otherwise my daughter would gleefully go ‘round and ‘round and ‘round, knocking her poor mother back to home base! The game continues until all players (except the fourth place finisher-me!) get their pegs into the Finish Line, thus determining first, second, third, and sigh last place.
What do we think of Trouble?
This is an absolute gem of a game! Simple, easy to play, inexpensive, and tons of fun! The game keeps the kids in suspense all the way to the end, because a Bump-back could happen at any time! To any player! (Well, usually me, but it does happen to others occasionally!) You can play with two, three or four players so the kids can play when I’m making dinner. My six-year-old even enjoys playing the game alone. It doesn’t take long to play, about 20 minutes when the four of us play, about ten when its just my daughter beating me! This game is recommended for ages 5+, but my three-year-old daughter enjoys popping the die, with a little help from one of us, and she is counting along with us. The Pop-o-matic bubble appears to be very durable. We’ve played many times and with a great deal of, shall we say “zeal”, and its not shown any sign of wear. My daughter is reinforcing her counting skills, the kids are learning to use strategy in a basic way, and they are learning good sportsmanship and how to lose gracefully. (I am teaching by example, although I do wish I could win this game just once! LOL!) And my kids think its so funny when I tell them to “go get into some Trouble!”
I do recommend putting the pegs in a zip-lock baggie of some sort so they don’t get lost, and always remember to put the pegs away when not in use, and of course supervise small children when playing….the pegs do pose a choking hazard. Also, in Canada replacement pegs are available by mail at a cost of $3.50CAD for the set, which includes shipping and handling. So if there are any Canadian Trouble owners out there who are “peg-challenged”, send a cheque or money order payable to Hasbro Canada Inc. to Hasbro Direct Inc., P.O. Box 267, Station A, Longueuil, Quebec J4H 3X6 Quebec residents should add 6.5% PST
Now, you must excuse me. I have to find someone who wants to get into Trouble with me!
Sooner or later I am going to win a game….hmmm…..maybe we should get a pet….I could play against a dog and win….I think…hmmm….maybe not…….
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Beverley
Location: Canada
Reviews written: 290
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About Me:
Heading into chemo again...then a stem cell transplant. Keep my family in your prayers please!
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