Customer Reviews

Connect Four

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I love Connect 4. I loved playing when I was a child, and now that I'm a parent I love playing with my children. Sometimes we even get crazy and play Connect 3, or Connect 5.

Connect 4 is a classic game that is sure to be popular for years to come. It is a strategy game played in a non-traditional vertical style with players alternating turns hoping to connect 4 checkers either in a straight line, or diagonally. It is extremely easy to learn, and plays in under 5 minutes. With Connect 4 you can have a lot of fun in 30 minutes.

The only problem with the game that I have is it's cheap plastic construction. It isn't durable at all. I wish there was a sturdier alternative available. I would pay extra money for it. In any case, do not let the less than perfect durability factor prevent you from owning and enjoying Connect 4.

Despite the recommended age, my daughter started playing Connect-4 when she was 4. By the time she was 5 she could beat most adults. Now, at 6, she can beat me about half the time. She started with just a strategy for winning. Then she learned how to fight someone else's strategy, but lost her offensive moves. Finally she graduated to clever offense and anticipating my moves. She's learned to see groups, to see geometric patterns that rotate, to think several steps ahead. It's that time dimension that's really given her the edge.

What's particularly effective about the game is that the rules are so simple that she can concentrate on the content of the game.

My only complaint is that after hundreds of playings the plastic slider at the bottom has become a bit loose, and several complex games came to an abrupt finale when the checkers were released unintentionally under the weight.

Whenever it was not possible to go outside for recess during my grade-school days (I'm a college sophomore now), there were many games that we would play indoors to pass the time.

Some kids drew on the blackboard. Other kids just got together in groups and talked. And then there were kids like me that played Connect Four.

Connect Four is extremely habit-forming because you get totally engaged in the game-play. It takes skill, a little bit of luck, and a decent amount of humor to play. We would have Connect Four tournaments all the time in grade school, and they would get pretty competitive sometimes!

Fun: This game is one of the best out there. Once you catch on, which doesn't take long since the rules of the game are easy, it is great to play. If you like games that will make you think and strategize, games that force you to outwit your opponent, this is a good game to reach for.

Educational Value: It keeps the little ones from getting into things. That was always my experience with it. Why go getting myself into mischief when I can go head-to-head with someone two feet in front of me? Little ones will find this a fun counting game.

Durability: The only thing that could probably dampen the fun of the game is losing any of the Checkers to the game. Either that or someone steps on the plastic frame, cracking it or just plain breaking it. But this is not something that people should worry too much about. This game is very durable; it holds up well.

In short, this is a classic game that has stood the test of time. And there are many ways to play it, not just connecting four Checkers in a row. Many games come and go, but Connect Four is a treasure that will last forever.

This game has really stimulated my children as they work hard to put together creative strategies to beat me or, at least, to prevent me from winning. Like other positional games (checkers, chess, etc), this fairly simple easy-to-learn game teaches children to think carefully through the consequences of what both players are attempting to set up. As the children get more experienced, they are starting to look further ahead than just the next turn or two.

I played this game for hours when I was a kid with my younger sister and brother and, with my father, we had family tournaments that would run over several weeks. For what it is worth, you can jazz this game up (just like chess) by adding a clock/timer so that people's cumulative moves are timed throughout the game. This helps some people from taking minutes to complete their turns if, for example, you set a limit that no player can take more than one cumulative minute than the other or else they lose.

I remember when me and my grandfather used to play tic-tac-toe all the time when I used to spend the night over there. I was a kid, so when I got Connect Four for Christmas, it became my favorite game for a long time. It's fun for anybody to play no matter how old they are, but it's best for kids who like playing tic-tac-toe. It's a little different from tic-tac-toe, however. You have to get four in a row instead of just three, and you have five columns with five spaces each.

Connect Four can teach kids some strategy and teach them to be more observant while they're playing the game. I recommend anybody who has a kid around to get Connect Four. The only drawbacks are that it's easy to lose some of the pieces and the two sides of the Connect Four game can break off easily.

The goal of this game is so simple yet so difficult. The first player to get four in a row wins. That four in a row can be horizontal, vertical or diagonal. The key is to think of dropping your piece in a place where you have more than one option going.

Connect Four is like vertical tic-tac-toe, except it's four pieces in a row instead of three. The board is a vertical piece of plastic that is a grid. Each vertical row has a place on the top where you can drop your "checker" down the row and they stack on top of each other. You can see them through circles in the plastic. Each row is divided so pieces don't fall or roll into other rows.

The game is to be played by two players and suggested for seven-year-olds and older. One player uses the black checkers and the other uses the red ones. Each player takes a turn and drops one checker into the game board. I still haven't figured out if it's better to go first or second! The player that strategically places his or her checkers so that four line up in a row wins the game.

Ok, so it sounds simple, but let me tell you that it can get very complicated. You have to watch out for those sneaky moves. The best player I ever encountered used to work out a plan in his head where he would work on two sides of the board. Then with one drop of a checker, he would have two options to make four in a row and I could only block one of them. Ugh! That is so frustrating, especially when you know he's setting it up and can't see it coming. But then again, when I did see it coming and could either block it before it happened, or sneak one of my own double whammy's on him, it was pure bliss!

This game has been called "helter-skelter checkers" among other things and could possibly be mistaken for a haphazard game of chance. The problem you'll encounter is that if you make a bad move, that may haunt you for the entire game and you'll be playing defensively the entire time.

So don't be fooled by the simplistic appearance of this game. And the first few times you play it the game will probably only last a few moves. But be warned: The more you play, the more difficult it will be to conquer your opponent! This game has almost as much strategy involved as a good game of chess.

There are only a couple of negatives to this game. The black and red pieces can be easily lost and are difficult to replace, as their size is unique and a regular checker from a different game won't work. The board itself is a tad bit flimsy, so don't get frustrated and smack it around or fling it across the room. Once it breaks, you'll be buying a whole new game.

And now for a line of attack if you're interested -- play offensively. That means don't get suckered into blocking every move your opponent makes. Let them stack a few together before you block it and keep to your game plan. The best way is to try to fool your opponent into blocking one of your moves, only to have what they may call an optical illusion come about that lets you place a piece on an entirely different row. Now with that fourth row, the fourth piece falls into place, declaring them the winner. Huh? Ok, so you have three going vertical and when the other guy blocks that, it sets you up to drop a piece on top and have a diagonal four in a row. There's nothing better than a sneaky win like that to bring about a smile.

For an inexpensive, fun and challenging game, I'd suggest adding this to your Christmas list or list of games to play on the next Family Game Night!

I played this game when I was little and loved it. Never had a problem with the lever at the bottom that holds the checkers in. I bought this last year to play with my daughter. The slide lever at the bottom that holds the checkers in keeps sliding over during the game. So, every time we make a move, we have to push it to make sure it stays in place. If we forget, it starts to slide over and dumps all our checkers in the middle of a game. I threw it away.

I am 8 years old and my brother is 5. We love to play connect 4. Sometimes the left side does not stay on. It falls off a lot. But we still love this game.

This is a great classic game. Every family should have it.

Unforunately, like so many games these days, they are making it chintzy. Like others have said, it does tend to fall apart easily after much use.

If your mother still has yours from when you were young, ask her for it. You could also probably find on eBay. The old ones were made much better.

I had this game back in 1978, when it was a big 16.25 inches wide. The box I got today was about 9 x 9 inches square. Milton Bradley has severely downsized this game and it looks much less structurally sound than the game I remember. The game may still be fun to play, but the picture and size description here on Amazon do not give an accurate representation of the game being delivered. Shame on Milton Bradley for the weak new version and shame on Amazon for failing to update its image. I will return this and find one second-hand. I want the original, big, sturdy version again.