Customer Reviews

Tomy Screwball Scramble Game

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am a play therapist and got this game to help my child clients (6 to 8 years old) who have difficulty with frustration tolerance, impulse control, attention and focus. I put in my playroom yesterday, and my three most difficult children all asked to play with the new toy. This game is fantastic. Children who before this have not been able to tolerate any kind of frustration of their control of a game without a tantrum, a meltdown, or quitting, spent their entire sessions focused on running the ball through the course. When they had difficulty navigating the ball, they tried again and none of the three asked to give up, or play something else. No one completed the course without having to start over, but they enjoyed the game thoroughly, it kept their attention, and although we used it as a 2-player game, they were more focused on besting themselves than on winning against me.

This is an excellent game for teaching children patience, delayed gratification, and the fun there can be not only in winning, but in playing the game. Children will also have the opportunity to build self-esteem, and experience mastery and appropriate control. I highly recommend it.

I was so excited to find this game. I remember my sons having so much fun playing it over at my parents home. I never bought it, because it made it such a special treat for them to go over to Mawee and Pawee's to play this game. My dad would race the boys to see who could be the fastest.

I decided that I wanted my grandsons to have the same special memories when they visited my home. I patiently waited for the arrival of the game with thoughts of how my grandson would look back fondly at the fun they had at their Grammy's home.

BURST ~ That's the sound of my dream popping.

This game is so cheaply made, so flimpsy, so difficult, and almost impossible to nagivigate due to the construction, that it's hard to explain my disappointment.

I found, and bought the original game on e-bay. I wouldn't waste my time and money on this sad replica of the 1979 game 'Running Yourself Ragged', it's just not worth the pain.

Similar to "Mousetrap" in that the young player must figure out how things work to succeed, this game focuses on getting the ball from the start of the course to the end. It is similar to the "Labyrith" games but instead of just tipping the table to roll the ball, the player must get the ball through a series of brain puzzles to move on to the next section. My 6 yr old son loves this game and will play with it for long periods of time. He sticks with it even after many of the adults have thrown in the towel. This game is highly recommended.

Complete piece of junk. The build quality is a on a par with what you might win at a carnival. The plastic is brittle and flimsy. The controls are badly weighted. The response is inconsistent with the player's input. Somewhere, Tommy is rolling in his grave. Spending good money on this is pure foolishness.

I bought this game for my 10 year old daughter. I knew she would love it because I actually had it as a child. My theory was right she loves it. She always has it out, It is a good game for her to play alone and it teaches her how to be patient and take her time.

This game is sooo much fun! It challenges your eye hand coordination on multiple levels. I recommend for anyone from 1st Graders to Senior Citizens. Epic.

I used to play this game with my best friend when we were kids. It was then called "Run Yourself Ragged". I don't understand the bad review I've seen on here for this.. at age 12 we were able to complete the entire gauntlet faster than the clock, in fact we ended up leaving the clock off and just seeing how many "laps" we could run it without dropping the ball.
Each section has a trick to it to make it work smoothly. It all has to do with momentum and timing. This is a great tool for developing coordination, and learning some basic physics concepts. (even if you're too young to know what physics actually is).
I must admit, after 20+ years of not playing it, I've lost the knack for getting the ball from the turning platform onto the magnet, and have lost the timing for running it down the rails smoothly, but it's just a matter of practice.
One tip I can give to all who seem to be struggling with this game... make sure it's on a solid and level playing surface... like a hard floor or a sturdy table. If it's tipped in the slightest it's impossible to get all the gizmos to work properly.
As with video games and all good puzzle type things.. it takes patience and practice.
Not only is this a good game for kids for developing coordination.. it also makes a cool New Years or other party type game even for adults.
Especially those of us who enjoyed it as kids!

I had the original version of this game when I was 10 years old and was surprised to see it again after all these years. To those who think the game is too hard for their children... it probably is. However, I prefer to think that most games are just too easy for children these days. The average complexity usually involves how fast a child can mash a button repetitively.

Games like this push children to hone their hand/eye coordination skills. It can be frustrating because it's not as easy as it looks but overcoming its obstacles can be a rewarding experience. I would recommend leaving the clock off until the child gets use to the game somewhat as it will just add to the frustration. Once your child has a grasp of the game mechanics then beating the clock becomes more of a fun challenge.

It's easily a two person or more game once you have the clock on as you can pass the game to the next person to see if they beat your time. A very challenging and fun game that can be played again and again.

Learned about this product in a party. Played with it and had a great time. Sometimes the wires do not open enough to let the ball move on, but that does not keep it from being a great product. Actually I bought one for a friend.

I was excited to see this toy because it reminded me of a game my grandmother had at her house. My 5 and 7 year old children enjoy playing with it and racing against the clock. This is a fun, old-school sort of game!