Battleship Design May Vary

by Hasbro

Product Features

• Classic naval warfare game
• Look for your opponent's fleet by calling out squares on the grid
• Requires strategy and logic
• Game sets are portable, making them easy to play at home or on the road
• For 2 players

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.6 x 10.6 x 15.8 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00000DMBB
• Item model number: 4730
• Manufacturer recommended age: 7 - 14 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,176 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Editorial Review

Battleship captains plot their strategies, send out torpedoes, and as the last ship (often the smallest, two-peg patrol boat) hides in an unsuspected corner, anticipation mounts. Like many classic games, Battleship walks a fine line between strategy and luck. The goal is to conceal the location of your ships while finding and destroying your enemies' fighters. The playing arena is a notebook-size plastic board updated for '90s sensibilities: the "floor" of the board is printed with waves and the exterior vaguely resembles a laptop. The design mimics the view a submarine captain would have, complete with a glimmer of radar waves. The game is perfect entertainment to share: simple enough for children, yet gratifying enough for adults to enjoy. One design decision keeps this edition from being truly stellar: the playing boards don't lock securely, allowing the small pegs to fall out and spill from the sides if jostled. --Jennifer Buckendorff

Product Description

Do you have what it takes to command your own fleet of five ships' Can you survive thrilling, ruthless combat on the high seas' Find out with this classic Battleship game, a test of strategy, determination and luck! Stalk your enemy and plan your attack, even as the enemy is stalking you! Keep track of your hits and misses so you never waste a shot! Try to sink all five of your opponent's ships before your own are found and sunk. The game is portable - the game units fold up to keep everything shipshape and ready to go! Includes two fold-up game units, 168 white peg, 84 red pegs, 10 ships, label sheet and instructions in both English and Spanish. For 2 players.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

95 of 98 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor quality, same great game, February 18, 2007

By 

captain video - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battleship Design May Vary (Toy)

As a GenX, I grew up with Battleship and Electronic Battleship (cooler). Its a great game for young kids. 5 or 6 is about as young as you want to go on age. The kids have to learn both grid notation and also the transformation that their attack grid is an analog to my defense grip/ship grid and vice versa. It takes kids a little while to grasp this concept fully. The game is suspenseful and fun for kids.
The drawback with this version of Battleship is pretty common to a lot of products. The manufacturer has done a lot of cost reduction to the game since you saw the version you played on as a kid. There is a lightweight and cheap feel to it now. One example is the white/red pegs. They used to be large, about 2cm and solid. Now they are about 1/2 cm and hollow to save on plastic cost. Just one example, but you get the idea, everything about it has been spared down to the minimal possible costs. They even have the user apply the outside Battleship decal stickers to save on a few pennies of assembly cost. This sort of makes sense. They are selling the game based on nostalgia we all have for it that we want to pass on to our kids. This games sales driver is not word of mouth on high build quality or durability. Therefore, charge as much as possible and cut costs at every conceivable location. To this I would say to the manufacturer, shame on you guys.
A better bet would be to find an older battleship game with better quality on eBay or go dig up your old set from your parents basement. Those sets were built so well that they should still be fine.

72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Battle Stations, Everyone!, November 25, 2001

By 

Lee DeWald (Nebraska) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Battleship Design May Vary (Toy)

This is another childhood favorite that has not diminished with age. This game is as fun now as it was in grade school.

"Battleship" has a lot to do with strategy and luck. You have to strategically place your pieces on the grid so they won't get "hit" and you have to use that and a little bit of luck to do your darndest to sink your opponent's ships. It can get pretty tense when both players only have one ship left, and one wrong move (or right move depending upon your situation) can end the game.

Fun: Like I said earlier, this is a childhood favorite of mine. When it was raining outside during recess, we would always play this in the classroom. "Connect Four" tournaments and "Battleship" tournaments were the norm when I was in grade school.

Educational: "Battleship" is essentially a thinking game, although a little bit of luck plays into it, too. Both players really have to use their smarts to come out the victor in this game. Seasoned veterans know all too well how strategy can cripple a rookie opponent.

Durability: Both game pieces are like a mini-laptop in a hard plastic casing. So it is indeed very durable. The only thing that could cause a problem are the little red and white pegs with which you mark the game board. These can be a hassle to pick up if a game board is dropped and it accidently opens up, sending zillions of little pegs rolling around on the floor. These can also be a choking hazard to young people, so that needs to be taken into account as well.

If you love games that will make you think, or you are just someone looking for a fun challenge, "Battleship" is a great game to pick up. The only prerequisite: swimming lessons in case the ship you're on goes down.

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original is Best!, March 3, 2003

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Battleship Design May Vary (Toy)

One year we bought our son the electronic battleship game. This was a big mistake! It was very difficult to operate, so that the opponent could get on with their turn. Also the pieces kept falling apart. This is the same as the original battleship game which is great fun! Don't try these new electronic versions, as you will find it as disappointing as we did. This is the one you want, and it's great fun!