Trouble Board Game
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