A game for good Americans
Written: Jul 25 '00 (Updated Jul 25 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to learn and a heck of a lot of fun
Cons: Small pieces might not be safe for tots
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| HawgWyld's Full Review: Battleship |
My Father always told me that Battleship was a game developed by American sailors while they were at sea and had little else to do. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant -- the point is, this is a solid, classic game for good Americans. During the "red baiting" days, it's my understanding that Battleship was used to expose communist moles who were masquerading as solid, U.S. citizens.
All kidding aside, this is one of those games that we just love in my family. My three-year-old doesn't get to play it, but my Wife and I enjoy it fine. Here's a word of caution about this game for those who have wee children -- it has a lot of small pieces that could be easily swallowed. Use it, then, with care. On the topic of small pieces, these things are easy to lose. I'm not sure what can be done to correct this problem because, as I'll explain in a minute, these pieces are central to the game.
So, here's how Battleship is played. Each player gets a plastic "kit" that contains two 10 by 10 grids. One one of these grids belongs to the player and serves as the area where he sets up his ships. The other grid represents the opposite player's area of "ocean" and is used to keep track of shots lobbed at the other player's ships.
Each player, on his area of ocean, sets up five ships that range in size from a patrol boat (which takes up two squares) to the carrier (which takes up five). The object, of course, is to call out different spots on the opposite players grid in hopes of sinking his ships before he gets yours. For some reason, their seems to be a great amount of pride associated with sinking the battleship, and the loss of a battleship is worn like a badge of shame. Each player keeps up with hits and misses on the grid that represents the opposite player's ocean. Simple, huh?
The game may be simple, but it's more fun that a barrel full of monkeys (I'm not sure what makes a barrel full of monkeys so much fun, mind you, but I'm not one to argue with the validity of time-honored expressions). This game is simple for children to learn, and can teach them a bit of deductive reasoning in the process as they try to figure out where their opponents' ships might be hiding.
Now, the smallish pieces are central to the game, so I don't know if anything can be done to improve problems associated with them. The ships are all a bit smallish, as are the pegs each player uses to mark damage to his ships, those of his enemy and missed shots.
And, here's a little tip with relation to strategy. Now, some people have predictable strategies such as "testing" out enemy ship locations by firing shots in the pattern of an "X" or trying other strategies. My strategy is, however, simple. I fire shots completely at random in hopes of finding some boats to sink. If that fails, I tend to cheat. Yeah, that's right. It's easy to look over at your opponent's ships unless the person against whom you're playing watches you like a hawk. When such things happen to me, I tend to fake an injury, collapse, and then look at the enemy fleet when my opponent rushes off for help. Hey, it works for me.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
HawgWyld
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Member: Ethan C. Nobles
Location: Benton, Ark.
Reviews written: 1429
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About Me:
The oxen are slow, but the earth is patient.
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