Advanced Mastermind

by Gary Sonnenberg

(Waukesha, WI)

Advanced Mastermind
Board game manufacturer:
Pressman Toy
Number of players:
2
Ages:
8yrs+
Time:
15 mins

Quick verdict

Advanced Mastermind is a challenging game of logic for two players.

The game and gameplay]

This game is a more difficult version of the original Mastermind board game. In the original, you only had to solve for four pegs, but in the Advanced game you solve for five.

Also, the number of different colored pegs in the solution increases from six to eight. The number of possibilities goes up exponentially. For an even greater challenge, you can allow empty spaces which essentially increases the number of colors to nine.

To start the game, one player secretly selects five colored pegs (repeated colors are generally allowed) and hides them under a shield at one end of the board. The other player then guesses what he thinks has been hidden by inserting pegs in the first row at the other end of the board.

Qwirkle

The first player gives clues using small black and white pegs to help the guesser logically figure out how close he is to the correct answer. A black peg means he has the correct color in the correct position. A white peg means he has the correct color, but it’s in the wrong position.

Based on this information, the guesser makes another guess by inserting more pegs into the second row at his end of the board. And so it goes until the guesser has all five positions correct. The number of guesses it took is his score for the round. Players then switch roles and repeat. After the number of rounds or points agreed upon before the game is reached, the game ends, and the player with the lowest score is the winner.

Note 1: This game is also known as Ultimate Mastermind and Super Mastermind.

Note 2: The 15 minute playing time is for just one round. Normally you will play several rounds.

Blokus

Pros and Cons

The components are solid and obviously colorful. They’re fun to hold.

The black and white hint pegs can be easy to lose due to their small size.

If you lack logic skills, you probably won’t enjoy this game.

If you want to increase your logic skills, you should play this game.

There is a lot of down time for the non-guessing player.

The Verdict

Advanced Mastermind can be a brain burner, especially if you play with the “blanks allowed” option. If you enjoy deductive reasoning and don’t jump to conclusions, you should enjoy it.

If you’ve played Advanced Mastermind, please leave a rating and comments using the link below.