Master Mind

  Master Mind has changed what it says in its box. My old version says "Easy to learn. Easy to play. But not so easy to win." Nowadays, it says "The Classic Game of Logic and Deduction." The change is appropriate because although this is one of my favorite games, it is easy to win once you know what you're doing.
  But that's what I like about it. I know that if I think well enough, I'll win the game. I taught my son my strategy, and now he can win, too. It's not "easy to win," but you will win if you think things through properly.
  In Master Mind, one person hides four colored pegs. The other person tries to guess what colors they are, and in what order. If the guesser gets a color in the right place, he gets a black peg. If the guesser gets a color in the wrong place, he gets a white peg.
  When I was a kid, my sisters and I figured out that it's good to start with your first three guesses being two colors each. You can use this information to guess the code in one or two more guesses if you're lucky. Usually, I guess the code in six guesses, seven if I'm unlucky.
  Master Mind is just the right level of difficulty to make you think but not get your frustrated. A game lasts about 10 minutes, so it's easy to play a couple times and be done.
  For ages 8 to adult, 2 players. Cost: About $12.

Our rating: 5 out of 5 stars