(thing) by zantar Wed Mar 16 2005 at 13:16:02
A children's board game that has been made by Milton Bradley (MB) since the 1970s.

Object of the game

The object of the game is quite simple: be the last player whose counter hasn't been caught in the crazy trap that springs on the cheese space on the board.

The trap

Mouse trap's trademark trap is made of several bizarre objects, which are:

  1. A hand-crank
  2. A set of gears
  3. A spring-loaded lever
  4. A hexagonal stop sign
  5. A lamp post
  6. A boot on a stick
  7. A bucket
  8. A metal ball
  9. A staircase
  10. A drainpipe
  11. A set of pipes
  12. A hand on a pole
  13. A piece of plastic described only as a thing-a-ma-jig
  14. A bath tub
  15. A bowling ball
  16. A see-saw
  17. A statue of a diver
  18. A wash tub
  19. A base for the trap
  20. A pole with notches in it.
  21. And finally, a cage that is the payload of the trap.

Pieces of the trap are numbered so it can be constructed in the correct order. There are holes in the playing board, for the trap pieces to be inserted into.

Game play

Starting with the youngest player and then continuing in a clockwise direction, players take turns to roll a six-sided die and move their counters, which are shaped like mice around the board. spaces on the board have a number of effects, from going back a given number of spaces to missing a turn. The most interesting spaces however are the white ones, which invite the player to erect the next piece of the trap.

Players continue until they get to the end of the board. At this point, there is a circle of spaces that the players must continue traveling around for the remainder of the game. This circle features the the most interesting space in the game: The cheese space. Upon landing on the cheese space, the player must, if the trap is fully constructed, turn the hand-crank to set the trap in motion. If the trap works, the cage will come down and trap the player's counter. That player will then be out of the game and his counter is removed from the board. If the trap fails, for example if the cage doesn't come all the way down the notched pole, then the player survives and can continue playing. Play continues in this manner until there is only one player whose mouse hasn't been trapped. This player is the winner.

I like it! 1 C!