Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is a really easy game that really only requires counting and color matching ability. The board is designed to look like a treasure map with 12 cardboard "keys" sticking up around the board. The game pieces are Pirates. Each player spins the spinner and moves his pirate the designated number of spaces along the dotted pirate map trail. You can move in any direction.
There are basically 3 types of squares to land on. Landing on the Gold Coin Square allows you to take a gold coin from the treasure chest. The Jolly Roger Square lets you steal a coin from another player. The Treasure Key square lets you take a key card and try to match it to one of the keys inserted into the game board. If you match the colors on your key to the colors on your key card, you can gain additional coins. The first player to accumulate 6 coins wins the game.
So, while game play is fairly simple, the set up instructions were fairly complex. First they have you fold up all these extra cardboard pieces. Then you turn over the game board and attach the cardboard pieces to the bottom of the game board. Next you turn over the inside cover of the box, and lay the box cover on top of the cardboard pieces. Then flip the whole thing over. Basically, all of this is done just to prop up the game board so that the keys can hang down through the slots on the board. And after all that, the keys don't really fit into the holes and they keep falling through.
Here is what we did to modify the instructions. We threw away all the cardboard junk. We got a little velvet baggy (like the kind you can get from some jewelry stores - with a draw string to close). We put the keys into the velvet baggy. Then when you land on the key square, you pick a card from the deck and a key from the bag. Now, our game board sits flat on the table and we have eliminated mess and frustration. Plus the little bag looks like a Pirate Treasure bag and makes the game feel a little more authentic.
I will say that my 4 year old (who is obsessed with Pirates) LOVES to play this game. The squares have pirate phrases that you are supposed to say when you land on a square. My son loves to land on the Jolly Roger square and yell out "Arrrgh, I'll be stealing yer treasure!". We've played this game non stop for the last several days. Overall, I rate this game 3 stars because of mess they made with game instructions and set up. It is a fun family game, but cheaply constructed.
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