Customer Reviews

Battleship Design May Vary

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

We grew up playing this classic game and encouraged this as a gift for our 7 year old. He loves the concept and the play. And we remember fondly the red and blue games of old.

But there are major issues with the build of this game.
Fit: The pins don't all fit into the space allocated for them. You can't properly close the units with all the pins.
Playing board - Bottom: There is no "floor" under the pins. If you try to play the game holding the units, or sitting them on your lap, you will push up any pins sticking through the floor of the unit. Very annoying.
Playing board - Top: The pins do not securely fit into their holes. Any slight jostle will cause the pins to tumble out of their holes destroying any record of where you have fired and what ships you have sunk.

I also miss the 5 little holes in the old clasps of the old units. We always placed red pins in the holes as visual bragging tags to remind our opponents how many ships we had sunk! But that's not a functional issue, per se.

I recommend searching out the real classic units before investing in this "updated" version. We'll be returning this one to the store.

Forgetting the fact that Battleship has small pieces, this is a great game! It acutally has some educational value because kids learn strategy and other skills. I love this game, because it is so fun to "not-know" where your opponents ships are. Guessing the places of the ships is strategic, not just a "yes or no" thing. I enjoy this game very much, there is no reason not to buy it!

Fun for everyone. It's a great way for youngsters to develop their math and logic skills without even realizing it. Games often go down to the wire, so there's plenty of excitment as well! Easily portable, Battleship is perfect for long car trips or vacations, and finding the little white and red pegs under the sofa years later will remind you of the good old days.

My 6 year-old son picked up the rules for this game in less than 5 minutes, but continues to develop his strategy every time we play. It is simultaneously easy and complex, and a great way to get kids to employ reason and logic, while having fun. At the same time, there is a good deal of luck involved, too, making it unpredictable and fun. It is a great way to get kids away from the TV so you can spend some quality time together.

I only awarded 4 stars for durability because small pieces are easily lost, as with any similar game, and the plastic casing and hinges can be broken rather easily.

Unlike the new and "improved" version of the game, this version actually has fitting pieces that stay where you put them. The separate boards let players sit comfortably across the room unlike the new one-board version that forces players to huddle over a bizarre octagonal single board with pieces that fall out constantly.

This is a great game for 6+ year olds and teaches strategy, coordinates, and some basic logic. Fun!

It's a great game , A lot of fun for the whole family and I strongly recomended ! We have the same batleship for more than 16 years for sure and.....still working !

This is a funfilled toy for in my opinion 6 years and older.you'll love the feel of victory as you here your opponent shout,YOU SUNK MY BATTLESHIP!!!A game that takes alot of strategy and just a pinch of luck,you'll wanna play over and over again.If you've never played battleship(talking or original)I suggest you try it,I have loved it since i was 4 years old,Battleship is not hard,once you play one time you'll get the hang of it and become a battleship master,(like me)What,you dont want to get hooked to battle ship?Oh,dont say that.Try it and you'll wanna be hooked!I know what your thinking,you have more than 2 people in the place you are living,you all wanna play,well I've had that problem before too,and i have a solution,put teams of 2 together!Add battleship to your game shelf, and have hours of fun with family or friends!The reason educational value has 1 star and not 0 is beacause Battleship teaches how to use strategy and lets kids have fun.Oh dont be fooled by the word "kids" my 40 year old mom LOVES Battleship!Guess what?This game is also portable!just take the 2 small thin boxes and put them in a backpack.They can even fit in a Wal-Mart,eagle,jewel,ect grocery bag!If your still not convinced that Battleshp is hours of fun all i can say is...go try it!This concludes my review of BATTLESHIIP by HASBRO! Enjoy your new game!