From the Depths to the Sky!

 Last week we explored warfare in the deep with Milton Bradley's Sub Search. This week we're taking to the skies with another Milton Bradley offering, Chopper Strike!

Offered in 1976, Chopper Strike is a little less well known than Sub Search. It's still a fun game of strategy, though. Like Sun Search, Chopper Strike uses a unique 3D board. In this case the whole top level is transparent, however. Let's take a look, shall we?

The box art probaby gives the best picture of how this game sets up. The idea is that each player has six jeeps (with anti-aircraft guns) and six choppers. The first person to take out all of their opponent's jeeps or choppers wins. In that way, it's very much like Sub Search. That's about the only way, though.

On the inside of the box, you get a short run-down of the idea...

And here is my game all set up! The clear plastic parts aren't stiff, brittle plastic, but are, rather, a little rubbery. This really helps with setting up the game. It also helps with not breaking the almost fifty year old parts! The only signs of age are a very slight yellowing of the clear.

A top down view gives you a better idea of the layout.

And here are the all important instructions (printed out from the internet)

Game play is actually very interesting. There are two die which are rolled each turn. One (with only a 1,2, or 3 possible) tells a player how many pieces he can move. The other regular die tells the player how many spaces each piece must move. The choppers can move anywhere, while the jeeps can only move on spaces not occupied by a lake or a hill. 

Destroying the enemy is also interesting. Choppers destroy enemy pieces by jumping them, as in checkers, while jeeps destroy enemy pieces by landing on them, as in chess. The upper and lower levels are considered one board. In other words, if a jeep lands on a space under a space occupied by a chopper, the chopper is shot down. 

I picked this game up many years ago at a thrift store. I was lucky that all the parts are there, except for one AA gun for a jeep, one one set of rotors for a chopper. That doesn't affect game play in any way. 

I was surprised that I didn't remember this game from my youth, as it's a really good strategy game. I guess I was beginning to think about girls and rock and roll a bit too much to be bothered with a board game. Also, Chopper Strike doesn't seem to have made as big of a splash as Battleship and Sub Search ("splash" Get it?)

That being said, I'm glad I discovered it, as it's arguably the best designed game of the three. It's easy to play, but still takes quite a bit of skill to master! 

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Searching for Subs....

 And not the sandwich kind! 

Last week I shared a dud of a game that was thrown in with an purchase that I really did want? The wanted game? Sub Search by Milton Bradley! 

Sub Search was launched in 1973 as a "3D version" of Battleship. In reality, it's a better game, since there is more strategy involved. Let's take a look, shall we?

The box is in kind of rough shape. I think it was sitting in the same basement as the Recall game. 

Upon opening the big box, we see a lot of big parts!

This game didn't come with the instructions, but fortunately you can look up all of Milton Bradley's game instructions online and print them off! That's what I did here...

The Sub Search game board is a thing of beauty! Four levels of game playing fun! Each player gets three ships (with white peg "depth charges"), three subs, and a mine. 

Notice that the end pieces are translucent plastic. This is a smart idea so that the lower levels will have light. Also note that the different depths of the game board get darker the lower you go. 

Simulated game play!

Here are the instructions. They are actually pretty easy. The 3D aspect of near misses and torpedo attacks add quite a bit of excitement to game play. By the way, a torpedo attack is kind of a desperation move, since it shows where your sub is. Oh, and subs can't move. Bummer!

You can win by either taking out all three of your opponent's ships or subs (the subs are more likely). All in all, it's an exciting strategy game!

As boring as Recall may be, Sub Search more than makes up for it. So, I guess I can forgive those people for slipping in the clunker game with it. 

Sub Search is, sadly, out of production so if you want a copy Ebay is your friend. They seem to go for around fifty bucks, which is fair. 

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Total Recall

 No, not the movie, the GAME from 1968! I got this game tossed in to another game purchase years ago (I think the game I was after was Sub Search). I've never thought much about it, but I figured I'd do a quick post on it, so here we are!

Recall was put out by Milton Bradley in 1968. The idea is pretty simple; arrange some pre-printed die cut cards on a tray, let the other players see them for a moment, and then see how many details they can remember!

This is the rather large box (all the better for point of sale displays). Mine isn't in great shape, having at some point apparently been in a damp basement...

And here are the instructions. Over half of the print is just covering how to assemble and operate the wind-up turntable. 

The actual pieces are large and colorful, which kids tend to like. I was a little concerned that my turntable might not work after all these years, but with a bit of coaxing, it sprang to life (get the spring reference?)

And here are sample scenes that could be set up! Yay!

I really don't remember ever actually playing this, but a notepad in the box indicates otherwise. So I know I've played it at least once. And apparently it didn't make the biggest impression on me...

All in all, it's an ok game for a thrown in freebie, but it's not great. Speaking of "not great," here is the vintage 1968 commercial for it. "Not great" is an understatement.

Recall Ad

Yeah, get THAT catchy jingle out of your head.

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

A Railroad in the Wilderness

Howdy!

Well, I was having some technical difficulties with Blogger, but it seems to be fixed now, so we'll take a look at this week's subject!

I have a couple of books about a Walt Disney World subject that I knew almost nothing about...the Fort Wilderness train! Now, I've been to WDW many times, but I've never visited the Fort Wilderness camp grounds. Even if I had, these trains have been gone a long time. So why would I buy books about a subject I didn't even know existed? I didn't.

You see, a few years ago Dave (of Daveland Blog) had a drawing for these books. I entered..and won! Here's what he sent me...

We'll get to the second one in a minute.

This book, written by David Leaphart is an in depth (and I mean really deep) look at the short-lived Fort Wilderness Railroad. It is arranged creatively, like a production. Here is the table of contents...

The "scenes" have a "list of players" too. I didn't really understand the point to all of that, but there is some really interesting info in the book, including this map of Marceline Mo. with Walt's places marked on it...

There are also these arial view maps of the WDW railroads...

Now this book has details. LOTS of details. In fact, it probably is the most detailed book I've seen written on any of the WDW railroads. Want to know the track dimensions? No problem!

Want to know how all the fiddly-bits on the engines went together? We got you!

How about building a model of the train? You'll need dimensions for that! Ok, here you go!

And what about the paint and graphics? No problemo!

Now there is actually a lot more stuff in the book, including first person stories and such. In fact, there's so much stuff that all the images just wouldn't fit. So, he gives you the second book, the "Gallery Companion!"

In it (along with a bunch of regular pictures) we find Faux-D images of the train and tracks!

And, in fact, when I was looking to see if this 2010 book was still in print (you can still get it on Amazon), I found that there's a THIRD book that covers signage and graphics! I don't have that one.

So, what's my take on these treasure troves of info? Well, for me, they're a bit...much, but I can see how a total railroad nut would love them! I do like the graphic and paint charts quite a bit. And the stories are nice, if a bit sparce. I do appreciate Dave sending them to my library!

Interestingly, even though these books are labled "Part 1," I don't see any indications that there is a "Part 2" out there. Maybe I just haven't found it yet. Still, for me, these are plenty!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Clue- The Final Chapter

 Well boys and girls, we are at the end of my Clue collection (feel free to wipe your tearful eyes...I'll wait...) This week we go off the deep end a bit to collect the odds and ends (mainly odds) that don't really fit anywhere else. Let's dive right in, shall we?

U.S.A. Opoly is a company that makes different versions of classic games with new themes, under liscense from Hasbro (who now owns Parker Brothers.) As can be deduced from their name, they do Monopoly. But they also do other games such as...Clue!

Our first example is probably one of the most thematically fitting. The Alfred Hitchcock version!

The game is printed in "vintage film" black and white...

The back lays out the general concept. If only there were an actual studio where the sets were preserved! I like how they tie everything into the movies.

The board is interesting, although I was expecting Mother's Room from Psycho rather than the Bates Motel room. Of course the motel room makes more sense for a murder.

The cards remind you of what movie everything is from...

And although the player pawns are standard plastic pieces, the murder weapons are rather nicely done. I also like the clear die.

Here are the official rules. Gameplay is exactly like the original. The new setting and pieces actually do give it a new feel, though...

And if, at any time, you forget what movie you're dealing with, the note pad has you covered...

Ok, I think that version is very appropriate to the game, and slightly sophisticated. But what if you want to lighten up things a bit? Well, grab a bowl of cerial some Saturday morning and dial up this next version!

Yep! Scooby and the gang are here to solve a new mystery! The back of the box gives us the general idea of what we're doing here. There is no murder in this version (it's a kids' cartoon, after all) but, rather, someone gets grabbed. 

I like that the board is set up like a haunted house. The only other version that does that is the Haunted Mansion version.

The characters and weapons are right out of the cartoon. I'm pretty sure they're based on real episodes, but I never was an avid Scooby watcher, so don't quote me on that. This version does step up by having diecast character pieces.

Here are the official instructions. Again, just like the original.

The idea here is a little goofy, but at least the show is about solving mysteries, and you are in a haunted house.

But what if you want to say, "The heck with all of that! Let's get really silly!" Well, we got you!

Yep! Homer and the gang are here to solve a mystery! And there actually IS a murder in this version! You can read about it on the back of the box.

The board is a pretty good representation of various Springfield landmarks, which is fun.

Once again the weapons and characters are cast in metal very well. 

One interesting detail is that the die in this version is yellow- just like the citizens of Springfield!

Here are the official instructions. Again, just like the original game.

The Simpsons version is fun because it in no way tries to be serious or atmospheric. It wins on pure silliness!

Well, that's it. That is all the boxed Clue games that I have (remember I already wrote about the Haunted Mansion version). What's that? You still want more???

Well......okay.

How about the traditional game...for home computer???

Yep! Now you can wander the halls of Boddy Mansion and try to solve his murder all on your computer screen! Providing you have a machine that still runs Windows 98.

How is it? Well, it's actually really good! Here is a great run-down of it that I found on You Tube. It's really worth a look...

Clue PC Game Review

I need to get one of my old PCs up and running so I can play this again!

But wait.... What if you don't want to actually play the game, but you want to just watch it??? No problem!!!

That's right! It's Clue- The Movie! This film is hillarious, in my opinion. This was the movie that I went to the sneak preview for and they gave us all free Clue games!

It has an A+ comedic cast, and was written in an British comedy style (think rapid banter and witty dialog) that really fits the game!

And what can you eat while you watch your movie? Boring old popcorn? Nope!!! May I offer...

Yes, you can munch on little murder weapons while watching the murders on the screen! Now, to be honest, I wouldn't actually eat these, since I've had them for over twenty years, but the thought is nice.

So there you have it! My entire crazy Clue collection! 

And on game night, you better watch out...because I actually am very good at the game...   ;-)

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!