Comments for Board Game Reviews

Comment on Dirty Minds Game by Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:42:30 +0000

Very average, November 23, 2011

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

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This review is from: Deluxe Dirty Minds (Toy)

It is a party game going with wine or beer for drunk poeple. Certainly don't require much use of brain to play, but still get some fun out of it. It can't be repeated as the questions are the same all the time. The box was slightly damaged on arrival. But overall in acceptable condition.

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Comment on Mousetrap Game by Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:37:21 +0000

68 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

Do not worry about the game, just build that Mousetrap!, March 10, 2003

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) -

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

This review is from: Mousetrap (Toy)

I know that "Mousetrap" is a game in which players take turns trying to capture an opponent's mice, but I am going to take a radical position and say the whole point here is to build this Rube Goldberg version of the proverbial "better mousetrap" and get it to work. Yes, the first time or two that you play this with your kids you can follow the rules and declare a winner. But from then on the fun is just putting this contraption together and getting it to work. The important thing here is that they understand the whole idea of a "Rube Goldberg machine" (he was the inspiration for this toy, even if he does not get the actual credit) and to appreciate the idea of taking a simple every-day real-life problem such as catching a mouse and solving it with a complicated mechanical solution such as what we have here, where you begin with a shoe kicking a bucket and eventually, if everything works correctly, ends with trapping a mouse.
This is a game where the way it really works is that young kids want to learn how to put the "Mousetrap" together and get it to work. After they master that skill they will become bored with it, at which point you simply discover some new kids who have yet to be exposed to this unique, classic game. There are certain games that every kid should be exposed to and "Mousetrap" is on that short list of classics.

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Comment on Dirty Minds Game by kittiekatt

kittiekatt — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:52:19 +0000

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Great game!, November 13, 2011

kittiekatt -

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Deluxe Dirty Minds (Toy)

This game is absolutely hilarious, and really gets you thinking! It is quite a challenge to NOT think dirty with the clues given, and I highly recommend this to a mature audience (I would not play this with my kids).

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Comment on Mousetrap Game by Lawrance M. Bernabo

Lawrance M. Bernabo — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:42:45 +0000

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

Lots of fun, if you're up to it!, September 10, 2001

By A Customer

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

This review is from: Mousetrap (Toy)

I usually groan when my first grader pulls out this game, because I know pandemonium will follow -- but it's always a lot of fun!!!!
This game needs to be heavily supervised. Even if you child can read (and kids on the younder end of the spectrum won't be able to), assembling the mousetrap requires a certain amount of fine motor skills and an understanding of how things fit together. My son has yet to play it with a friend without serious assistance! Even when I play if with him, it is a crisis if my younger child is around. He is too young to play the game, but he loves to play with it and work the trap -- usually right in the middle of the game!
Notwithstanding all of this, the game is a blast. It's a good introduction to engineering concepts. Most board games are pretty similar -- you go around the board and whoever gets to the end first wins. This isn't that simple - you don't know who is going to win until the end. Furthermore, the best fun of the game is the process of reaching the end, since most turns involve a child adding another piece onto the trap.
My only real complaint about the game is that it needs to be sturdier. My board is taped together, and I am about to order a replacement thing-a-majig (that's really the name of the piece) from Hasbro.
If you don't mind supervising the game, it's a great game.

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Comment on Dirty Minds Game by Pretty Lady "College Grad"

Pretty Lady "College Grad" — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:21:22 +0000

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Fun But Hard to Get, July 14, 2009

Pretty Lady "College Grad" (USA) -

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

The game is fun but the directions are hard to get at first. Also, it is one of those games that cannot be played over and over again because the questions get old. I had fun laughing with my sister and her boyfriend when we played this the first time but we have not played it again since then. I would consider this game to be a one to two time play.

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Comment on Arkham Horror by Mojo Jojo

Mojo Jojo — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:29:07 +0000

74 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

An entertaining romp into unspeakable horror (Lose 1 Sanity Point Now), March 17, 2006

Mojo Jojo -

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

I liked this game quite a bit. I will say it's only loosely based on Lovecraft's themes. But then again, if it were accurate, it wouldn't be much of a game. TURN ONE: Draw Encounter Card. "Oh, you've run across an unnameable horror. Lose all Sanity points. Go directly to Arkham Asylum. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars. Do not do anything for the rest of the game."

No, thankfully, it's a little more upbeat.

The game isn't perfect. It's rules, while not actually all that complicated, are easy to get wrong the first one or two times you play. And it takes a little longer to play than I normally like. Also, I almost always use house rules (less Clue tokens to seal a gate, spending less time in the Otherworlds, etc.) But as a sort of fantasy adventure game where the players work against the game, it works pretty well. I enjoy it mostly for its storytelling aspects, and the fact that the game has so many items, characters, and monsters that you'd have to play several times to see them all.

The biggest flaw is a bit of randomness in the gameplay. At times, it can seem like the players are just wandering around, but usually I always feel like I'm working toward something. It's neat having a character with different strengths and weaknesses, and facing a variety of monsters. And each Ancient One affects the basic aspects of gameplay enough to be interesting.

The components are of amazing quality. Thick cardboard chits with full color, great illustrated character and Ancient One sheets. The monster tokens are a bit small, but still nicely illustrated.

A fun game. Not to be taken too seriously, but worthwhile for a bit of weird atmosphere. (NOW LOSE ANOTHER SANITY POINT AND GO BACK TO ARKHAM ASYLUM FOR READING THIS REVIEW THAT MAN WAS NOT MEANT TO KNOW)

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Comment on Arkham Horror by Mark Twain

Mark Twain — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:28:29 +0000

86 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

Best board game ever made, May 8, 2007

Mark Twain (North Carolina) -

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

I bought this game when it came out. Since then, i have purchased the Black Pharaoh and Dunwich expansions, and we (a group of 5 of us) easily say this is one of our favorite board games ever. The game assumes that you already know something about Lovecraft and the Cthulu Mythos, although if you don't, it does not mean you can't enjoy the game. It just means you might not really understand why a Hound of Tindalos drives you so insane, or what exactly an Elder Thing is.

The unique aspect of the game is its cooperative play. With 2-8 players (with 4-5 being the sweet spot) you work together to defeat one of many Great Old Ones that are intent on destroying Arkham and possibly the entire world. Each game changes the GOO you fight, and there are multiple investigators to pick from, so you aren't playing the same hero each time either. Add to this mix hundreds of common item cards, unique items, spells, and encounters for dozens of locations, and you have a game with practically unlimited replayability.

The object of the game is to move around the board, either fighting or evading monsters that spawn from gates, while collecting clues and having encounters. You can try to seal the gates and prevent monsters from coming through them, but if you don't act fast enough, the GOO will eventually awaken and it comes down to a final combat that is sometimes impossible to win.

One thing dissenters say about this game is that you have to manage lots of "fiddly" bits. And true, you have a ton of playing pieces to arrange and manage throughout the game: your health, Sanity, clues, cards, skill sliders. But once you get into rhythm of the game it all comes naturally (although it will take around 3-5 games to get used to it).

[...]

Note however, that the game becomes increasingly harder with each expansion you add. As of this writing, The King in Yellow comes out this month, and it is going to add a whole new level of difficulty to an already hard game. But the key to AH is this:

THE FUN IS NOT IN THE WINNING.

It is just in the playing, even if you lose horribly (and you will) it is fun seeing just HOW bad you lose. Sometimes the game seems to be alive and is plotting against your every move.

Ok, that's enough ranting. I can't say enough good things about Arkham Horror. Buy the base game, and then slowly integrate the expansions to keep the options coming. It only gets better.

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Comment on Merchants And Marauders by Davey

Davey — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:39:30 +0000

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Phenomenal Game, April 25, 2011

Davey -

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

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This review is from: Merchants And Marauders (Toy)

Excellent, excellent game. The artwork and box contents are all very good quality and very pretty. The ship miniatures in this game are some of the best I've ever seen in a game like this. The game itself is just great. It's a very fun game that virtually flawlessly enables the players to live out a variety of different seafaring adventures with a very well thought-out series of mechanics. I would absolutely recommend this game to anyone who loves pirates or good, "Euro-style" board games. If you're the kind of "gamer" on the other hand who thinks Risk is complicated, forget about it.

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Comment on Merchants And Marauders by Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:07:52 +0000

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Great Game!!, November 12, 2011

Sarah -

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Merchants And Marauders (Toy)

Love this game! Lots of fun, good replayability. It defintitely takes up a good amount of time so be sure to set aside at least two hours for four people

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Comment on Merchants And Marauders by chefdevergue

chefdevergue — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:23:45 +0000

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

A superb game in every respect, June 14, 2011

chefdevergue (Spokane, WA United States) -

= Durability: = Fun: = Educational:

This review is from: Merchants And Marauders (Toy)

I don't often review board games on Amazon, as there are better forums available for the board-gaming community. But this is one of those games which successfully straddles the world of Eurogames and those commonly referred to as Ameritrash. This game has been in the design stages for more years than I can count, and was finally released late in 2010. Boy, was it worth it; it has quickly become one of the most popular thematic games among avid board game players.

It is beautifully put together; you will open the box to find attractive components and a very sturdy board. There are LOTS of different cards, which means LOTS of different choices. For some people, this may be off-putting; too many fiddly parts may convince you that the game is much too complicated, and it is true that it will take a couple of plays before you are comfortable with everything the game has to offer, but once you are well-acquainted with the mechanics of the game, it becomes quite easy to play.

What I like best about it? It is 1) incredibly immersive (and a real time-burner, I hasten to add); it is 2) quite flexible, inasmuch as there are many different (equally viable) strategies for winning the game; it is 3) very well-balanced. Initially, it may seem like playing as a merchant gives you an edge, but once you learn how to utilize all of the tools at your disposal, you will find that playing as a pirate can be just as successful. There is no single RIGHT WAY to play this game. You can also fall behind early, change your strategy, and still be competitive in the game. The game does not punish you for early mistakes; it also does not allow someone with an early lead to coast to an inevitable victory, because there is a fair amount of randomness involved (definitely enough to keep it from being categorized as a true Eurogame).

If I had to hazard a guess, I would say age 10 and up will enjoy this game. This is the pirate game that everyone has been waiting for!

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