Trouble Board Game
by Hasbro
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Category: Toy
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: HasbroBrand: Hasbro
Model: 4658 S5
Product features:
- It's the classic race-and-chase game with the PopoMatic die-rolling bubble
- Be the first player to send your four game pieces all the way around the board to win
- Pop-o-matic automatically tumbles dice when pressed and released
- Land on an opponent's peg to bump it back home! But don't you get bumped back, or you're in Trouble
- Trouble is a perfect travel game--car or boat motion won't upset the game's progress
- It is indeed satisfying to press, slap, or pound the pop-o-matic
- Pop the bubble and hop your pegs around the track
Toys and Games Reviews of Trouble Board Game
Customer Review: Counting, Fun, and a little bit of Life Lessons on the Side
Summary: 5 Stars
We introduced our kids (now 13, 10, and 7) to Trouble pretty soon after they were able to count. It's a very simple game to learn, yet fun even for the youngest. Game play proceeds in turns, with a roll of 6 on a single die required to move a piece out of the "base". The object is to get all four pieces around the board and safely to "home". If a player lands on an opponent's piece, it has to go back to the base. That's it. Given the bells and whistles on newer games, I don't think Trouble will stay your child's favorite forever. However, it brings enough fun to the table that they might break it out and play on a rainy day years down the road.
Some observations:
1) The single die is "rolled" by popping it inside the little plastic dome in the middle of the board. For this sheer genius alone, the game deserves to be considered a classic. The little dome is easy enough to work that a small hand can click it, yet it is sturdy enough to hold up when slapped hard. Also, having the die encased this way prevents kids from rolling it all over the room or knocking the game pieces over (a pet peeve of mine). It will not get lost.
2) Having a single die is also the right choice for complexity. Kids get practice first in counting to 6, then in recognizing the numerical symbols of 1 to 6 on a standard die. This links the abstract concept of a number like "five" to the real world example of a set of five spaces that they can move. As adults, we don't realize there is a difference, but for a young child it is one of the first big abstract concepts he or she is asked to learn.
3) The game is not totally luck. There are come choices of movements that younger kids might need to be coached through. They will need to choose which piece to move, whether to go for the safety of the "home" spaces or to try to set back the opponent. Again, simple, but this is a great setting in which to introduce the concept of strategy. That said, there is enough luck involved that kids of different ages can sit down together without someone being at a big disadvantage. If a parent is willing to "coach" the moves of the youngest child, there is no disadvantage at all (Note - don't expect older siblings to see the wisdom of this approach).
4) Hand-eye coordination gets some practice. The pieces are little pegs, and they fit into slots on the game board. This makes the counting easier and guides players to put their token in the proper slot. The act of putting the peg in the slot can be a challenge for little hands, but generally, if a child can do the counting, he or she probably has enough dexterity to move the pieces. (You WILL, by the way, eventually lose a piece or two. Luckily, almost any bit of colored plastic can be substituted.)
5) Life lessons. Kids have probably been exposed to winning and losing by the time they are introduced to Trouble. However, in Trouble, not only can you send your opponent back to start, but THEY can do this to YOU. This is momentarily devastating to a 3-year-old. Seriously, don't be surprised if they cry. It's normal. Be prepared to ease them through this with encouragement and by setting a good example of sportsmanship when your pieces get sent back. If kids can learn this lesson early, they will be much less likely to melt down in Tee-ball a few years down the road.
When I sat down to write this, I was planning a 4-star review. As I wrote and thought about it, though, all of these positive aspects literally changed my mind on my rating. I think that Trouble probably IS only a 4-star game in terms of the pure fun. However, as a teaching tool/game combination, only a few games are in its league. 5-stars.
Description of Trouble Board Game
It's the classic race-and-chase game with the PopoMatic die-rolling bubble! Pop the bubble and hop your pegs around the track. Land on an opponent's peg to bump it back home! But don't you get bumped back, or you're in Trouble! Keep poppin' and hoppin' to get all 4 of your pegs to the finish line first, and you win! Trouble includes plastic game unit with PopoMatic die roller, gameboard, 16 plastic playing pegs, and 4 rubber feet.Trouble is a board game with a simple concept: Be the first player to send your four game pieces all the way around the board, moving spaces determined by rolls of the dice. The "trouble" of the title comes when an opponent's piece lands on a space occupied by your piece, thus sending yours back to the beginning. Parents will likely remember the game from their youth, or at least remember the game's signature gimmick, the pop-o-matic dice roller. The Pop-o-matic is a dome-shaped clear plastic housing for the dice in the center of the board game that automatically tumbles the dice when pressed down and released. This feature, plus the board's plastic slots that hold the game pieces in place, make Trouble a perfect travel game--car or boat motion won't upset the game's progress. It is indeed satisfying to press, slap, or pound the pop-o-matic. It's strong enough to withstand the frustration of the losing player(s). The game's simplicity makes it easy to jump into without elaborate explanations or practice games for new players, but it's utter lack of strategy will likely limit interest to just a few rounds. --Porter B. Hall
Need an icebreaker? Want to work out some aggression without shin guards and helmets? Popomatic Trouble, Milton Bradley's classic race-and-chase game, is guaranteed to bring out your competitive side. Try to outstrip your opponents as you race your pawns around the colorful plastic board to safety. Should you have the good fortune to land on a space occupied by another player, you can send him reeling back to start, where he must wait for a six to pop up (literally) on the capricious dice bubble in the center of the board. Once liberated, your foe is free to reciprocate--now you're in Trouble.
The crystal ball on which the fates of all rest, a.k.a. the Popomatic Dice Bubble, is the genius behind this game, and is one reason it has become a classic. Encased in its bubble, the die never goes flying, rolls off the table, or gets lost. Simple to learn and exciting to play, Popomatic Trouble is a game that never loses its thrill. Popomatic Trouble is for two to four players. --Julie Ubben
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