A
fter repeatedly checking antique store games-sections, I finally stumbled across the game from my childhood I've been actively seeking: Hasbro's 1994 Mastermind. It's a simple code-breaking logic game, where one player makes a colored pattern, and the other tries to guess it as quickly as possible using iterative clues. It has a really slick presentation in the form of colored pegs that fit into holes, and a very satisfying reveal mechanism for the Mastermind's code. Trying to suss through all the possibilities indicated by the Mastermind's clues is entertaining work, but still simple enough to teach even not particularly game-inclined people. It's also kind of nice that the mental work is basically one-sided -- the Mastermind just makes a pattern, and then gets to relax for a bit, until they take their turn as the guesser. I remember Will and I used to pore over the little plastic record-keeper endlessly at Rindge. I'm very glad to have another copy to share with my kids.