Mastermind Game

I've always been a huge fan of this game. I started playing a long time ago when I was stuck at a family reunion party and it rained all week.  Its a two person strategy game which involves a codemaker and a codebreaker.  This game can be played by kids 8 and up and, I think, is an excellent mind exercise game for kids.  Similar to chess, it really makes you use your head and sharpen your problem solving skills.  We usually play this game in sets of 3 games a round so the other can have a chance at revenge in case you make a big mistake.

The game is pretty simple in theory (minute to learn, lifetime to master!), the codemaker chooses a pattern of 4 colored pegs.  Now, you could use duplicate colors, but we typically don't.  They put the pegs in a specific order behind the shield.  The codebreaker then has to guess what he/she believes the order/color of the pegs is.  The first try is obviously just a wild guess to gather information.  Once the initial guess is completed, the codemaker then uses black/white pegs to tell the codebreaker how he faired.  A white peg indicates the right color, wrong position and a black peg indicates right color/right position.  So, for example, if the codemaker places two white pegs after your guess, that means that you had two correct colors, but in the wrong spot.  That also means that two of your colors were incorrect.  You have 12 chances to figure out the right color/pattern.  You look back at your pegs and patterns to figure out which is the correct way. 

This is an excellent game for kids/parents alike.  If you do a search for "Mastermind" you can even find ways to incorporate the game into a math lessons...talk about a fun math lesson! This is a great example of a fun game that can sharpen the kids minds..not to mention the adults minds too!