Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Classic Wooden Chinese Checkers Game Board

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This gameboard has very nice quality construction, traditional heavy glass marbles, and a classic draw-string pouch for marble storage. The only minor complaints are storage and coloring. The game comes shrink-wrapped in the shipping box, so there's no good way to store it except to hang it on the wall (slot in back of board provided for this purpose). The marble bag would then hang from the hanging board. A little inconvenient for my house where wall space is a premium. The only other minor distraction is the color of the marbles. They are beautiful marbles, but it is very difficult to distinguish between a few of the colors while playing. We have requisitioned brightly colored plastic marbles from another CC game and use them when more than three people are playing. Other than that, this product is great and we are very happy with the purchase.

Hi! I bought a cheap sheet metal version for $[...] at Walmart. Considering the fact that my kids aged 10 & 7 liked this game very much, I went looking for something (i) a little more durable , and (ii) something having the game area, i.e., the star, large enough that moving and placing the marbles is not an issue. After doing a search in other department stores and on the web, I purchased the present unit. The board looks durable and at least 1.5" thick. Though the overall board measures 19.5" x 19.2", the star is a lot smaller, more like 12" in diameter. As a result picking and placing the marbles is still a problem. There is lot of empty space all around the border. Melissa & Doug may consider increasing the size of the game area, i.e., the star.

When I was growing up, my mom kept a cardboard chinese checkers game under her bed that we played constantly. I had so many good memories of playing it with her, that when the game board got so old she had to throw it away, I knew I wanted to get her a new one. I thought it would be easy to find a nice Chinese Checkers set, but it was not. I looked for the longest time, and all of the games either came with additional game, or they just weren't a good quality. I finally bought a Chinese Checkers game that looked nice on the box, but the marbles inside were plastic! That just wasn't good enough for me who as a child was fascinated by the smooth glass marbles. When I found this set at a teacher supply store, I immediately bought it. It's true that it would be nice to have a box, but we don't need one, as we store under my mother's bed anyway. Also, the game board had a nice ding in it, which bothered me at first. I finally decided that it just added to the character, because the board is wooden and has a really beautiful aged appearance. I also agree that the coloring of the marbles can make it kind of confusing, but we just glance through them towards a light, and then it is pretty easy to tell the difference. They really are very beautiful. Another thing that I like is that the game board has a raised edge. No more marbles rolling off the bed. Overall, I am very please with this set. I feel so happy to find just what I was looking for, and my mom was thrilled to get it.

i prefer this set to the cheaper ones because the recesses are deeper and spaced further apart so when you move a marble, the others aren't dislodged.
plus, it's got a cool, antique look to it -- looks like you inherited it from a grandparent.
definitely worth the extra money.

This is a beautiful wooden board, and the intent when purchased was to use it to play the game. The marbles that came with the game were very pretty, and matched the colors on the board, but the colors didn't stand out. Three of us played, but it was very hard to distinguish the color of the marbles. Except for the white marbles, they all looked too close to the same (light blue, dark blue, green all looked very close in color, and the yellow and red looked close in color to each other). We had to hold the marble to the light to see what color it was.

The nice thing is that other marbles could be purchased for use and wouldn't be a big expense. And it is a beautiful game board and you can hang it on the wall.

This was just what I was looking for when I purchased it. I wanted something that my grandchildren did not already own and that would help with their problem solving skills. I also wanted something that we could enjoy playing together as my grandmother and I had done. I like the old fashion look to it. I do have problems with distinguishing the colors of the marbels when they are on the dark board. However, color wise they do look authentic and attractive on the playing board.

This is a well made product and we have enjoyed teaching our daughters how to play Chinese checkers. It is a wonderful family game that teaches strategy.

The problem - it is very difficult to determine the color of the marbles. The see-through colored marbles look dark on the middle black playing area and it makes it hard to tell what color the marbles are. We find ourselves having to hold the marble up towards the light to make sure what color it is. It has been frustrating enough that we no longer play the game. I am now having to shop around to purchase different marbles.

This is a nice looking board, but the one I got was defective: the wells for the marbles are not drilled in straight lines. Because of this, you can't tell where you're supposed to be able to move! The game is not usable.

While this board is a certainly more expensive than other Chinese Checkers sets, it is well worth the cost. The wooden build quality is excellent, and it works well as a game that just sites on the coffee table, ready to play. I bought it as a game that my five year-old can play with anyone, and she really enjoys it. I think that it has fairly good simple strategic value with some very basic rules that are easy for her to understand.

I will agree with other reviewers who have said that it can be difficult to discern some marbles from others. Also, the colors on the board are not as distinct as they appear in the picture. But, if you're willing to live with that, you will have a really great set that will probably last for years.

I purchased this game for my grandchildren for Christmas for their home. I have a metal version of this game. I like the fact the the game had an edge around the side so the marbles would not fall off but the main problem is that the marbles are not a bright color and begin to look alike as you play. The bag to connect to the board was also nice. The game would be much more interesting if it were more colorful.