Stats:
No. of players: 2
Amount of time to play: 20 min
Age requirements: 8+
Set-up time: 5 min

Mastermind Rules Description:

I recently did a review of Mastermind Animal Towers and thought to review the classic game Mastermind. Mastermind is a two-player, abstract strategy game of reasoning and deduction.

In Mastermind you are either the Codebreaker or Codemaker. The Codemaker secretly places four colored Code Pegs in any sequence.

If you are the Codebreaker you then have ten turns to figure out the order of the Codemaker’s pegs. You guess the code by placing Code Pegs in the board.

The Codemaker places key pegs beside your guess. Key Pegs give you clues about how you are doing. For each red Key Peg placed next to your row you have the right color in the right slot. Each white Key Peg means you have the right color but in the wrong slot.

This continues until either the Codebreaker solves the code or ten turns have passed and the code is not solved.

One round consists of each player taking a turn at being the Codebreaker and Codemaker.

The Codemaker gets 1 point for each row of pegs played by the Codebreaker and you switch roles. If the Codebreaker can prove the Codemaker has given misinformation, you replay the game. This also scores the Codebreaker 3 points.

If the Codemaker‘s code is not solved he scores 11 points (10 points + 1 bonus point).

You should agree to the number of rounds you want to play and the player with the most points after those games is the winner.

A Quick Review of Mastermind:

Mastermind is a classic game that can be played pretty quickly and is fun for kids and adults. I remember playing this as a child and really enjoying it. My wife and I still enjoy playing this from time to time.

Mastermind is a great family game that helps children to develop reasoning and deduction. It is a great way to introduce your child to abstract games and strategic thinking. This is another game I won’t mind playing with my kids.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 4 out of 6
Luck 2 out of 6
Player Interaction 5 out of 6
Replay Value 3 out of 6
Complexity 2 out of 6
Fun 4 out of 6
Overall 4 out of 6