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Be the first to move your child-shaped playing piece from square one to square 100 on the Chutes and Ladders game board--but watch out! If you land on the square that shows you ate too much candy--Ouch!--you get a tummy ache and slide down a chute to a square a few numbers below. But if you end your turn on a good-deed square, such as helping sweep up a mess, you'll be rewarded by a ladder-climb up the board.

A fantastic follow-up to Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders is ideal for younger children who are still learning to take turns and just beginning to recognize numbers (the spinner stays in the single digits). It's also a gentle introduction to the higher numbers as players climb to 100 at the top of the board. And, thanks to all those chutes and ladders, it's got enough excitement to keep your 7-year-old on the edge of her seat. English and Spanish instructions are included; no reading is necessary to play. Chutes and Ladders is for two to four players. --Julie Ubben ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Tall ladder followed by long chute... every stupid time!
Everyone reviewing this product refers to the 4-year-old people who usually play this game. What about me? I'm 27 years old and I still love it! Of course, I'm routinely beaten by my girlfriend, Naomi, who always seems to land on square #80, which means an instant victory. Still, the agony of my repeated defeats teaches me valuable lessons in frustration management. Don't let the suggested age group (4-7 years) get you down! Buy Chutes and Ladders anyway, I say.

A great first game for kids!
This is a great "first board game" for kids, who will probably enjoy it from ages 3-5 or so. Extremely simple to play, players take turns spinning the spinner and moving the number of squares indicated. Kids get excited by the unpredictable ups and downs. I award it 5 stars for educational value because it teaches counting, taking turns, and fair play (when these are reinforced by an adult playing along).

great for younger kids
I think that the company could improve the quality when making the game. However, the game is fun for young children and very easy to learn how to play. It helps with counting and it's a nonviolent alternative to some of the games/toys out there.

Grat, enjoyable learning game!
I really like Chutes and Ladders for its educational value. It teaches children how to count to 100 and how to take turns. The pictures on the board also show the difference between cause and effect (ie: you break a dish you have to sweep it up). It is also no so very long although if you get caught up in some parts of the board it can drag on a bit. Still a very fun gave to play. Simple, no reading required.
A few problems though. It would be very nice if it was in a plastic case, that way I wouldn't have to keep taping the boxes which always seem to get broken. Also, the maekers used for keeping your place are in two pieces. It consists of a card with a boy/girl on it and a plastic piece to hold it up. I wish it were all one piece so that they wouldn't fall apart all the time when you go to move your marker. That's all though.
I still gave this game 5 stars because these problems that I have named are small compared to the fun that a family can have playing a game together!!!!

Not the game I remember.
I played Chutes and Ladders as a child (4th grader or so) in the 50's. This game has gone through radical changes since then. It used to require knowledge to play it. It had an entirely different format. There were several straight ladders lined up in a row across the board. Between each ladder and the next was a chute. The game was played as follows: Answer a question correctly, advance one rung of the ladder. Answer enough questions to get to the top of the ladder, advance to the bottom of the next ladder. And so on across the board. Each ladder represented a grade in school. However, when a question was answered incorrectly, the player went down the chute to the bottom of the ladder he or she was currently climbing to begin climbing that ladder again. The winner was the first player to complete climbing all of the ladders. The original version was created to challenge your knowledge. It was a difficult game as I recall. The version in the present format is just meant for amusement, in itself a good thing, but by no means a challenge. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Speed, not artistry, is the key to Pictionary Junior, a party game that stole the show from Charades in the '80s. The kids' version, which has been updated with hundreds of new words to draw, has hints and two levels of play. There are 144 two-sided cards. The red side is more challenging, and the blue side is easier--for younger players. Both include a theme to be read aloud and start everyone thinking on track. Teams go head-to-head to guess the word their "picturist" draws within 60 seconds. How fast can you draw an apple pie, an eyebrow, or a coin? It takes a quick hand and good guesswork to move around the game board from start to finish before the other team. A timer and easy-to-read instructions are included. --Lynne Sampson ... Read more

Reviews (5)

.....
The only setback to this game is if the people you are playing it with really stink at drawing. If that's so, then you're at a disadvantage and pretty much sunk. But it's fun to play anyway!

tons of fun
As a family game, we have tons of fun.
The kids really get into it. They have to use
their imagination. The whole family loves it.

It's Iffy
Pictionary Jr. isn't as fun as the older version. I've played this game so many times that I know off by heart what the cards have on them. I think they should make more cards for it. It is a kinda fun game. I rated it 5stars for educational because littler kids can either play the game while trying to sound the words out or they can just take the cards out of the game and try to sound them out without playing it. I rated i 3 stars for durability because if you drop the game while it's in or out of the box the cards will scatter all over the place.

Family fun
We play this as a family on family game night. My five year old daughter is as good and has as much fun as anyone, but we have to read her some of the words.

plenty fun
My little niece has this so I've played it and it can be just as fun as the older version. ... Read more

Reviews (50)

My favorite card game--and we play almost everything!
Five Crowns is excellent fun. The cards are beautiful and the changing wild cards from hand-to-hand keep the game interesting and exciting. There are lots of stimulating colors if you play with kids and the game helps them learn to match and make numerical sequences. We have played nearly every day since we bought the cards over two months ago. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes to play cards or games.

A Really Great Card game!!!
Five crowns is a great game. It's simple, and teaches counting and math. It's compact, and me and my 9 year old brother like to play it on car and plane trips. The cards are beautiful, the queens and kings especially! I first incounterd Set (made by the same company) in grade 6 in math class. Then we went to a store to get it and found 5 crowns and Quiddler. My personal favorite is 5 crowns, though they are all really fun! This is a good game for 8 years and up! It's really fun!

Quality of cards
We love the game and have purchased it for others. All our friends and family are hooked on it. The only thing we don't like about it ( all of us ) is the quality of the cards. From the very beginning, they were hard to deal out. Very thick and wanted to stick together. Have tried numerous things to make them easier to use, but nothing works. Any suggestions?

Royally appealing!
Several years ago, we gave a Five Crowns set to my parents, who are now in their 80s. Between us, we have worn out six (6) sets! It is the one game we can all play, from my 9-year-old niece to my 87-year-old father. And it plays just as well with 2 as with 6. The only pain for us was scoring, as it gets confusing sometimes, so we went into our Appleworks spreadsheet program and created our own fill-in-the-lines scoresheets that also help us keep track of how many cards to deal. This game is delightful, and it really isn't ever over till the very last hand!

Finally a card game that is satifiying!!!!
We are a card playing family. We constantly change the rules to the games. This game is perfect the way it is!!! It is quick to learn and retains your interest for a long time. Well done Set Enterprises! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

better than original
Shrek Operation is better than original. Easier to remove pieces. Its fun!

Too cool!
Just couldn't resist the fun take on this classic game. Worth the money.

harder than origanal and not to durable
this is too hard! the peices are big which makes it imppossible to get them! and the legs broke. but the illneses are hilarious! ... Read more

EDITORIAL REVIEW

It may seem odd that a game could combine elements of Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, and grocery store shopping, but Skannerz does just this. Here’s how it works:All UPC symbols scanned into this device are converted into virtual monsters, some of which join your team voluntarily, some of which you must electronically defeat in order to conscript them. From there, you can play special games that train your monsters to become more powerful and compete against other players. We had some difficulty at first figuring out how to scan the items, and wouldn’t recommend this for younger children for whom the technology might be frustrating. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Reviews (11)

To HARD TO USE
Well I got my Skannerz for Christmas And EVRYTHING I scan Comes out nothing ...

Commander has more problems than the old Skannerz
My son had a blue Skannerz but didn't like that he could only collect certain monsters so he saved his money to get the new Commander version that he expected to be better than the old one. But the new one has more problems than the old ones so we ended up returning it. Battling on the Commander is VERY different from the original and complete instructions are NOT included in the manual. The manual says they are on the website but they aren't there either. When I emailed Customer support, all they did was send me a copy of the tiny manual that came with the game. As far as we could figure out, you have to wait for a counter to go up to a certain number and hope to hit the button at the exact time. The only numbers that they tell you to wait for in the manual are either your monster's number or the opponent monster's number. It says other numbers do other things but doesn't tell you which numbers or what they do! It doesn't tell you which items you can collect or what they do. The outside of the package advertises that there are 126 new monsters. But they don't tell you that you only have enough space to collect 53 of them. My son loves the idea behind the games so if Radica can just get it together on providing a decent product launch, he would be happy.

super
I couldn't put my toy down for days after I recieved it. This is my favorite toy ever!

Fun, probably worth $20
My 7 year old LOVES this toy. The first one we got did not work at all but we exchanged it for one that did.

Not every UPC has a monster in it - maybe one in 20. But it's exciting when you get a monster. He had trouble understanding the directions for battle on his own but once I read them (a few times!) and explained them, he's been winning most battles and enjoying it.

It's nice to have at the store and we find UPCs on everything now. If it was more than $... I would say don't buy it, because I can see him getting tired of it soon and I'm not the only one to have had a problem with one, but for $... he's had a blast.

I agree, any kid younger than a bright 7 year old could scan the monsters in but would not be good at understanding the battles, etc. Still, it's a fun gadget.

Poor product; poor customer service
Bought the original scanner as a gift for my son. No one in our family was ever able to get it to scan even a test bar code from the manual. And Radica's customer service was basically non-existant. I really expected them to go out of business since they wouldn't respond to phone calls or emails for support, so I'm surprised to see they have a new product out.

I don't recommend buyng products from this company. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Puzzle!
For a pre-schooler needing to work on problem-solving skills, this puzzle was excellent! Not too big or too small, and the Noah's Ark theme was perfect. We had a blast pointing out all the different animals and making their sounds. The puzzle has held up well, and we'll continue to have fun with it.

Great fun, great quality at a great price!!
I got this puzzle for my daughter's Easter basket and she loves it! What realy sold me was the great quality of this puzzle. The pieces are all well cut out--no peeling paper or edges and they all fit perfectly. My daughter is three and a half and I help her with the puzzle until she gets good enough to do it on her own. She wants to break it up and start over as soon as she has finished it. The Noah's Ark artwork is beautiful--highly detailed and very interesting to look at.

I will keep Ravensbuger in mind for future puzzle purchases. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent Murder Mystery!!!
I bought this Murder Mystery for a church group gathering and it was a blast! The box contained everything we needed for the evening. It has invitations, name plates, a planning guide and character booklets. The planning guide was invaluable to me as hostess and helped with recipes and a schedule of events. You can play the game with a full dinner, a luncheon menu or even with snacks. As far as the guests, they were given invitations that provided costume suggestions and they all came accordingly, which made the evening all the more fun and believable. There is also a CD that you play at different times during the game to help you keep up with what has been revealed about the characters. I will say that I put in some extra work to pull off our party, though you don't have to if you want to do it on a small budget. We went all out with decorations from a local party store, finding some Hawaiian music and I even provided leaflets with Hawaiian on them for the guests to practice the language. Lethal Luau is a good game to center your party around and then imagine what you can do beyond it to provide the atmosphere of the story. We even reenacted the murder at the beginnig!

As to the plot itself, it was excellently done. I hadn't put all the clues together myself, but one of our members came out with the solution exactly. Everyone else agreed and it turned out that through listening closely and paying attention to clues, the murder is one that can be solved.

Everyone had a good, fun time! We enjoyed playing the parts, learning about Hawaii through the characters and CD and most of all playing a game that brought us all together for a good evening with friends.

Who Would Have Guessed!!!!
I housed this at my birthday party...it was fun and all....dont get me wroung....but by the end of the story line when you had to guess who was the murder....every single character had a reason to commit the crime....it was impossible to guess....it was basically a luck game.....there was not deatil that you had to really lisen for to figure out teh murder....i wish it was a little easier....in my group of 10 people and like four others not playing not one person got correct person....it was fun tough i think the best part was dressing up like differeent people....and teh cd was a very nice touch... ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Great Game
If you were born between 1965 and 1980, you MUST own this game. The set-up of the game is good, but the questions are great. You will have a blast remembering some of the crazy songs/people/movies of the 80s. Big hair not required.

This game rocks !!
I realize that a lot of people won't know all of the information from the game, but for our family it just made "family time" all the better. The four of us grouped up in two teams and played for almost 3 hours straight the first time around! It was great to remember some of the answers and to learn others. Now I just have to learn sports a little more ?! ha ha ha. If anyone just wants to have a good time, even if you don't know it all, try this game out. Have a large party at your house and play. I truly believe you'll have a great time !!

Trivia With A Twist - Fun, Fun, Fun
This is a fantastic board game which is a load of fun. What you do is attempt to move through each year of the 80s (1981, 1982, 1983 etc)... although the year is really rather arbitrary. You answer questions and when you land on the "exit the year" space, you are asked a question and must determine whether or not it happened in the year of the space you are on. For example: You might be sitting on 1982 and the question will be "Top Gun was Released in this Year".

The questions are fair, fun, and of a pleasant mix. My wife and I enjoy playing this game even alone.... so it is fun for 2 or more.

From a person with a collection of 200+ games, I give this game a "Highly Recommend".

not as fun as the reviews make it sound...
I added this item to my wishlist (and received it as a gift) after reading all the positive reviews. But after playing the game with three others, I didn't get a lot out of it. The others who played with me didn't enjoy it, either.

Part of the problem is that I grew up in the 80's, but was probably too young to remember some of the things that happened. (I graduated high school in 1997.) But I also felt that the questions were phrased funny and were hard to read and although the game shouldn't be completely simple, some of the questions were really obscure.

So, if you were teenage or above in the 1980's, go for it. You'll probably enjoy it. But for today's early to mid-twenties crowd, I would recommend that you pass on this one.

A blast from the past
I could not wait to get home to play, and it did not dissapoint. Graduating in the early 80s, I considerd my self a expert. There are great questions, and I learned a few things that I had no idea happend. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Simon says, "Would you like to play a game?" Or seven? With Simon 2, thenext generation of the classic electronic sequencing game, players can play thetraditional Simon challenges against the machine or they can turn over the unitfor head-to-head play with a human opponent. All seven games are variations onthe ingenious original: an ever-increasing sequence of signals, denoted by theflashing and beeping colored buttons, must be repeated by alternating opponents.Complete with nonscuff rubber feet, and powered by three AA batteries (notincluded), Simon 2 features adjustable skill levels on most of the games (asequence of as few as eight or as many as 31, for example). Players who desire adash of recall and replication with their reflex action will enjoy gettingSimon, too. --Tony Mason ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Awesome Homeschool Tool
As I type this message, my husband is playing Simon2 with our two oldest children, ages 3 and 4. They have been at it over an hour and are still having a blast!

As a homeschooling family, we look for toys that will reinforce skills that we are teaching, challenge our children and that are fun! This toy has it all! Even my youngest, who just turned 2 enjoys playing this game. He is too young to really understand it, but loves the lights and music!

The older children benefit from having an adult speak the color pattern out as they play, such as, "blue, blue, yellow, etc". We've found it to meet the needs of all learning styles when used in this way! I would definately recommend this toy to other families! And an added bonus, is that it's fun for the parents to pass the time with as well.

Great place to buy from
My first trip to buy presents on-line was great! I believe I made a great purchase and both my children have enjoyed it.

Returned Twice
We purchased this toy for our 10 year old son and he enjoyed playing with it. However, after just a few hours of play the buttons started sticking or not registering when you pushed them so you couldn't "win" or move up.

We returned the toy and got a new one and the same thing happened with just a few hours of play. We returned it a second time and got our money back. Not a lot of fun if it doesn't work. I would not recommend.

Didn't last two weeks
This is a very fun toy, but unfortunately, it completely died after only two weeks. It wasn't ill-treated, but one day we tried to start a game and one light just turned on permanently. I took out and replaced the battery, and it hasn't shown any sign of life since.

Simon? Rights for kids?
Simon, this was given to my older 12 year old sister. She would play this but she doesn't really enjoy this. Now for me a nine year old I enjoy it. Though I cant play it . I cant play it for one reason and one reason only : sister won't let me play it. Now if I were dropped off from outer space and asked well nicely imonlynot nice to her) then I could play. My point is a nine year old like me enjoys this and a twelve year old like my sister may or may not enjoy this game. I thank you for reading my opinion. Now since I have no clue as to what younger kids might think I agree they like it. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Fun, even for kids
We got this as a present from some friends and have enjoyed playing it. It is based on the extended edition films along with all the behind the scenes you find on the addition disks.

Our older kids have liked playing this as well. The 9 year old and the 7 year old did really well recalling different things from the movie. So this doesn't have to be just an adult game.

There is also a game out based on the books for those that are more interested in that.

Tolkien trivia galore
I got this one for Christmas. I have played it with family and friends. There is a nice balance of trivia between the books and the movies. I tend to dominate in book references, but really stink when it comes to the behind the scenes and actor references.

Game play is pretty much identical to the original Trivial Pursuit game. The nice part about this game is that even kids can play it... I have played with kids as young as 9 and they have been able to answer quite a few of the questions.

A very fun game
I really enjoyed this game. True, it's not tremendously difficult, but it is fun. It is not, however, as easy as some people say it is. There are some questions in categories other than the making of the movies that are difficult. My mom and I both agreed that this was harder than some others said it was. I know that it is based on the movies, but I really like it that way.

Not all that impressed even though I had fun
I was very excited about this game and bought it for my birthday. I was disappointed to find only one box of questions and only movie trivia. I am a Tolkien fan, though not as much of a purist as I could be, and wanted to have fun. I have played it twice now and have finished the games in less than 30 minutes, having played with people who know the movies as well or better than I do. The only category that gives us pause is the Film and Production category.

Overall, a good product but there should be more questions and it should have been combined with questions from the book.

A fun way to spend the afternoon...
I bought this for myself just before Christmas, and my sister and I have had endless fun playing together. Being supernerds, we often have problems finding others who want to play, but we find it challenging enough that we're okay with that. This can be played traditionally as a simple test of knowledge, or with the extended rules for the advanced players. The extended rules really help to challenge Lord of the Rings trivia buffs. I'd recommend this for anyone who enjoys the movies no matter what their level of play. I've even learned a few things while playing. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Friendly farm animals surround the barn and tractor in this handcraftedwooden puzzle. This is a terrific puzzle for the very young--it is made of sturdy wood,and each of the nine pieces features a grip knob to help maneuver the pieces into place.Each piece is approximately 1.5 by 3 inches and fits easily into its own hole; the identicalpicture in the hole makes finding "where it goes" easy. The farm animals pictured includea duck with chicks, a sheep, a horse, a cow, a rooster with hen and chicks, a pig withpiglets, and a goat. --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (12)

High-Quality Starter Puzzle
This is a high-quality starter puzzle that depicts a traditional barnyard scene. Under the pieces are a cow, horse, dog, cat, pigs, sheep, ducks, and a farmer sleeping beneath a haystack. It's a great choice for one-year old and up because the pegs make the pieces easy to manipulate, and the varied shapes adds a bit more difficulty. Overall, though, this is definitely an easy puzzle.

I also appreciate the way that the animals are depicted in a realistic fashion--they look like real animals instead of the fake caricatures that you sometimes find with children's toys.

In general, I think it's nice to have a collection of puzzles with varied features...some with pegs, some wood, some foam, some inter-locking pieces, some that feature colors, shapes, animals, vehicles, etc. This puzzle is definitely tops for depicting a farm-yard scene.

Toddler Confidence-Booster
I searched high and low for high-quality wooden puzzles and found them with Lights, Camera, Interaction. My 21-month old son loves this puzzle and is so proud to show me where the dogs, ducks, or farmer is "hiding". The pictures are well-drawn and colorful, and the wood is sturdy. I believe this will be one of those toys that my son will be able to share with his children someday.

very good
Why can't this be shipped to countries other than US.Is there any Indian agents for this.If not I would like to be . send your feed back
regards
sudha

Loved it
I bought this and four other peg puzzles for our son and they were a great success. Our 10 month old loves playing with them. He can pull out the pieces, but cannot put them back yet. He likes the colours and imagery. They do wear a bit on the edges, especially when put in the mouth. But other than that we love them.

Puzzle Mania
I bought this and the geometric shapes puzzles for my daughter when she was 14 months old. Although she figured out how to complete them after a couple of weeks, she still finds amusement in dumping out the pieces and replacing them, now at 17 months. It is great stimulation for mathematical part of her brain and puzzles are now her favorite toys. The realistic pictures of the farm animals are educational and the pieces are odd shaped and challenging. I would suggest lowering the recommended age because I saw how quickly my 14-month-old enjoyed it. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Learning FUN!
I highly recommend this game! Very fun while still being extremely educational. The best way to learn is while your having a good time doing it. My son (4 years) has this game and we have given the Jr. version as a gift. The Jr. version is appropriate for pre-readers.

Great for all ages
My son started playing this when he was 3. At 4, he can name all the states, abbreviations, capitals and most of the state birds. He can tell you where the major points of interest are without looking at the map. It helps to teach the concept of distance, such as "which state is closest to Maine". It also teaches the concept of compass direction, such as "which state is north of Texas". The game can be played with or without a board for portability. All in all a great educational game for children as well as adults.

Great for Adults!
You don't need the board to play this game, just take the flash cards with you to travel, etc. Make up your own rules, as you'll have fun 'refreshing' your memory of states, capitals and landmarks. I'd even recommend it for kids ;)

Love this game
I've enjoyed playing this as much as the kids. Very educational and fun. The kids don't even realize they're learning, but their interest in and knowledge of geography has improved immensely! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Guesstures turns up the heat on the tired game of charades with a few modernizations. Good, quick pantomiming is still the thing, but now teams need to act out and guess four words in a matter of seconds. The "mimer-timer," designed like a movie scene board, controls everything. The actor draws four word cards and places them from easiest to hardest in the timer unit for each scene. After the arm swings down for "Action," time is rapidly eaten away and so are cards as the performer gestures wildly like a silent movie actor. When the cast guesses the word, the actor grabs the card before the "mimer-timer" does. Whew! It's a lot to think about. Each word is rated based on difficulty, so whatever cards the team correctly guesses and the actor manages to seize are tallied up and recorded. --Lynne Sampson ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Easy, Fun, and Duplicate
This is simply charades with rules, which is both good and bad. There are two sets of word / phrase cards, one with more difficult words / phrases that are worth more. Every card has two words / phrases, one more difficult and rewarding. They're placed in a thing that makes the cards fall one by one. You have to get your team to guess what you're acting and quickly grab the card. I think it's better without keeping score. This is a pretty good party game. I recommend it for any group of 3 or more friends or family members, especially one that can't come up with any charades things to act.

I love this game !!
I just played this game yesterday at my Thanksgiving dinner,and everyone was kind of off in different groups until we started playing the game and we had so much fun !

Fun in a large group
This is one of those games that's great in a large group and only fun the first few times you play.
I give it a recommendation, because at the right time and place it's a perfect game, but do point out that it's not a classic any time any place game, and it's definately not one that two or three can play by themselves.

Good Game
This is a great game if you like charades. There are simple words that you have to act out before the timer runs out. The game is excting, very fast paced and keeps you attentive. Very nice additon to a game night.

kind of....
this games was really bad, my guest did not like it and you need 18 people for it to be fun.... ... Read more

Editorial Review

It's hard to believe that market trading has survived almostunchanged 100 years after the boisterously fun game of Pit wasintroduced by Parker Brothers. Yet the Classic Pit Tin still capturesthe flavor of making deals faster and faster, louder and louder, untilthe ring of the bell announces the first successful cornering of themarket. The cards are sturdy, the artwork is lovely, the rules aresimple, and the game is wild. Put it in an attractive tin and you'vegot a winner. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Everybody loves it!!!!
After I discovered Pit from a friend, I went online and ordered my own. It has been the best party game ever!!! I bring it over to a friend's house or take it on a trip, and everybody wants to play. All my friends are now addicted to it. It also is a good way to see the futures market at work.

Fast paced, adictive game
The rules are straightforward and easy to learn, the pace can pick up very quickly making this game loads of fun- also the more people the better!

A "retro-version" of this fast-paces, fun card game.
This edition of the classic card game PIT is the same game as in the Deluxe edition. The only difference is in the look of the cards and the metal case containing the game: the game now looks exactly like it did when it was first released, a hundred years ago. The cards are also a bit sturdier. You might prefer the modern look of the Deluxe set, but playing this version will really take you back to the early days of the commodities market!

The game is centered on the trading of commodities. This sounds dry, but actually this is one of the most enjoyable party games ever invented. It's simple to learn, fast moving, and involves lots of screaming and yelling. (Try to imagine "Go Fish" if nobody takes turns and it was played like a furious farmer's auction). But the game also has a fascinating history and teaches something about the nature of the economy.

The commodities market developed in the 19th century as the modern agricultural economy began to grow in the U.S. When many farmers faced bankruptcy during lean times of the winter season, "forward contracts" -- an agreement between a buyer and a seller on a price, quantity, and a future delivery date of a particular commodity like wheat or beans or coffee -- started to appear. Between the time of the contract purchase and the delivery, the price of the commodity could change rapidly and violently in either direction, so to protect themselves, merchants would travel to Chicago to trade their various contracts and agree on a later delivery date. The location where they traded (originally a room above a flour store) became The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) -- also know as "THE PIT." Today we see the The Pit on television every day, where traders dash about desperately yelling and giving signals to buy or trade contracts on wheat, soybeans, Eurodollars, heating oil, gold, etc.

Thus arose this long-lived card game. By 1904, when the game was first published, the commodities market had exploded into a major economic force in the country, and one in which speculators could lose or gains millions in a short period of time. This game imitates the frenzy of traders on the floor of the Pit, selling and buying contracts on various commodities rapidly so they can "corner" a particular market, and where fortunes can be made or lost in seconds.

This may sound complicated, but PIT is an easy game to learn and addictive to play. Seven-year-olds can pick it up quickly and be trading as hard as an adult player after only one round. The play is simple. A deck of eight different "suits" of nine cards each (commodities like wheat, oats, coffee, and sugar), plus a "bear" card and "bull" card, are dealt to the players. The dealer then rings a bell (included in this set) to declare trading open. Immediately, without any semblance of taking turns or order, the players try to discard cards they don't want by trading them with other players so they can get all nine cards of one commodity in their hand and "corner" that market and win the round. You receive a particular number of points depending on what commodity you've nabbed (wheat, for example, is the most valuable at 100 points). All trading is blind: a player holds up cards of all the same suit he wishes to trade, keeping their backs to the other players, and yells out how many he wants to trade ("I'm selling three! Three! Who wants three!). Other player may ask him to trade less if he they have fewer cards available to offer ("Will you drop to two!? I'll trade two!"). Usually, three or four trades among different players are going on at any time, or players are competing to grab an offered trade first, and the game becomes a furious race to nab that nine-of-a-kind and slam your hand on the bell to announce that you've won the round.

Amongst all this looms the Bear and Bull cards. The Bull is a wild card; you can corner a market with only eight cards plus the Bull. But if the Bull is in your hand when someone else slams the bell, you lose twenty points. The Bear is always bad: you lose twenty points if it's in your hand at the end of the round, and as long as it's in your hand, you can't corner a market. You keep playing rounds until someone gets 500 points and wins the game.

New players may be a bit hesitant with the fast and furious play style, but pretty quickly everyone will be feeling like a real tradier and yelling and wheeling and dealing. I've seen ten-year-olds beat out fifty-year-olds with their enthusiasm. And no one will ever get bored playing this. (Neighbors, however, may complain about the noise.)

The only real drawback to PIT is that it isn't as fun with a small group. The more players you have, the more fun it is. A three-player game is possible, but it isn't as intense as a game of five or more. And eight players (the maximum) is an absolutely amazing thing to see or take part in. Buy this game...you'll be the hit of your next party. It has all the wheeling and dealing of Monopoly in one tenth the time!

exciting family game
I played this game with my family as a child. I played this game with my 5 children, and now play this game with grandchildren who love it as much as I always have.

Outrageous Game!
This is one of the most fun games I've ever played! An absolute riot! Addictive! You'll play for hours. One suggestion - don't use the bell. When someone wins, just have them yell, "Pit!" ... Read more

Editorial Review

Build a better mousetrap? We dare you. Naturally, the object is to trap mice in the mousetrap, while avoiding getting trapped. By rolling the die, you proceed around the game board, collecting cheese pieces and building a mousetrap bit by bit. Once complete, you set the wheels in motion, as it were, to try to capture the opposition's mice. But this is no ordinary trap. With this contraption you start by turning the crank, that rotates the gears, that push the lever, that moves the shoe, that kicks the bucket, that sends the ball down the stairs and into the gutter, that leads to the rod that releases a second ball, that falls through the bathtub and onto the springboard, that catapults the diver into the washtub, that causes the cage to fall and--whew!--hopefully, capture a mouse. The last "mouse" left uncaptured wins --Alison Golder ... Read more

Reviews (61)

mouse trap
mouse trap is a durable, fun, and the ratings are always high for our mouse trap.

this fun colorful bord game is fun for all ages. personally i think that the rating should go up to 1000 stars.......... litterally!!!!!!!!

love from :)
becky a mouse trap fan

Fun for little ones, a pain for parents.
My daughter received this game as a gift this year. She was so excited and wanted to play right away. I found the directions confusing and difficult to follow at times. Once we started putting the trap together, it all came together nicely, until we began playing. We are still having difficulty getting the trap to run smoothly. Either the boot won't reach the bucket or the marble won't set off the helping hands part of the trap. I recommend saving your money on this game.

What has happened to patience these days?
It's amazing how many reviewers of this game are complaining about this game requiring too much patience, or about the trap not working properly. Since when is it a bad thing to need patience for something? Are we so bent on instant gratification that we can't take some time to play a game with our kids that may require a little effort? As far as the trap not working, that's part of the game. Even the instructions mention that every time you turn the crank there is a chance you won't capture an opponent, and the trap will need to be reset before continuing play. This is a great game, and most kids love it. If you want to play a good constructive game with your kids, this is a great one.

OK Game....
The game is OK...The object of game is to trap the opponents mouse. But here is the catch...you have to go around the board and bulid the trap first. The pieces, although very colorful..are not color coded...so this can be a bit confusing. For each piece of the trap that you build...you get a piece of cheese...throughout play you can steal cheese from your opponent, or pay pieces of cheese to set your opponent up to get trapped! Cute game...they say to get rid of all bags that the game pieces come in...there are a lot...but my advice is to replace those bags with Ziplocks and do it quickly!! Must have patience when playing this game...especially when putting it together!!!!

It's All Relative!
This was a favorite 'family' game my siblings remember playing with our parents. It always did and still does take a while to get the hang of building it and keeping it together during play. This is not a bad thing; my siblings and I learned a lot about 'patience', and remember all the parts and pieces to the game quite foundly -- Although none of us remember the objective of or rules to the game. Adults who don't have time won't like this, but remember it's all relative -- think like a kid. ... Read more