Muggins Math Game (Revised Wood Board with Knockout)

We love playing Mugggins. The board is sturdy an well made.

I didn't know how this game would go over with the grandkids (ages 8 and 11) but they both wanted to play repeatedly and are eager to play when I suggest it. It's a great way to work in math and problem-solving skills in a fun way. (We have only played Knockout.)

If your children tire of drilling math facts the traditional way using flashcards and endless speed drills Muggins and Knockout may be a fun alternative It has become a welcome addition to our array of family games Your children may not even realize how much they are learning through computing math facts and strategizing the best move Knock-out is recommended for ages 6-adult with multilevel play instructions A player rolls all three dice adds them together and places their colored marble on the board using any combination of numbers (on the board) to equal the total on the dice The board contains numbers 1-18 with holes on either side for marbles to be placed When a player fills both holes he captures that number and scores a point The catch: other players may knock your marble out if you have only one marble beside a number The winner is the first one to score 5 points or have the most captured numbers on the board Muggins on the opposite side of the board is geared toward ages 8- nuclear physicist according to the publisher It is more of a challenge as players use all math operations (addition subtraction multiplication and division) to place a marble on the board numbered from 1-36 A player may use any operation in any order to come up with a subtotal of the three die rolled then place his marble on that total We enjoyed figuring out all of the various spots a marble could be played However sometimes a player would race to do the mental math and play his marble before others could do the math Either way our computing abilities were challenged A player scores for each run of 2 3 4 or 5 marbles placed consecutively on the board Players may bluff to place a marble on the board as no explanation is given on how the number was calculated If a player challenges a move an explanation must be given Marbles are removed from a challenger or the challenged depending on the answer given If a player determines that they cannot make a move they pass on the die An opponent may declare "Muggins" if a possible answer was overlooked and place their own marble in that spot The player with the highest score based on runs of marbles wins the game Muggins/ Knockout is great fun for many different abilities and a nice break from the monotony of drill work The best part of Muggins/ Knockout-- you get two games in one box Marbles dice and a reversible game board are used for both games

These games are a great way to get your kids to ask to do math! Both games have several variations to allow play to be customized to the abilities of the players Knockout has players adding and subtracting numbers on several dice to try to "lockout" a number and score points You can also "knock" your opponent off and claim a number as your own In Muggins players must try to create "runs" by adding subtracting multiplying or dividing The bigger the run the more points a player scores A player can also try and block their opponent to stop them from creating runs In addition to math skills both games also require a great deal of critical thinking and strategy to win The game is made from a heavy wood board and quality marbles are included My son loves to play both Muggins and Knockout and my husband and I enjoy playing with him I highly recommend this product as fun family game that will also get your kids thinking and practicing their math facts