Mousetrap
Game Summary: Remember this game from your childhood? Didn't we all have a friend who was just a little cooler than us because his or her parents had bought him the Mousetrap game? While you can play this game by the rules and declare a winner at the end (the one whose mouse has not been trapped), most kids simply enjoy putting the mousetrap together and seeing it work.
Price Range: $17
Age Range: 6-12
No. of Players: 2-4
Time to Learn: 5 minutes
Time to Setup: 10 minutes
Reading Skills Needed: YES
Playtime: 15-20 minutes
Game Rating:***
Game Review: Oh how I wanted this game when I was a child! But my parents wouldn't buy it. Instead we were stuck with Monopoly and Scrabble. Hmph. So of course I had to buy it for my children when they clamored for it, and sure enough, it's the same by turns irritating and fascinating game I remember playing at my friend's houses growing up. You move around the board to collect pieces of the mousetrap and put it together piece by piece. When it's complete, you can spring the trap and watch it catch the mouse. I seem to recall this game being kind of cheaply made and difficult to get to work right when I was a children, and nothing has changed in that regard! It can still be a little frustrating to try to get the darn thing to work, but when it does, the kids are just beyond thrilled. How long will it hold up? Well, as long as you can keep track of all the pieces and prevent your children from getting so irritated that they break it in frustration! I give it 3 stars for nostalgia and the level of fun the kids have with it when it works (and sometimes when it doesn't!).
