Wood Folding Mancala in Sleeve

by Cardinal Industries

Product Features

• Great game For Counting and Strategy
• Challenging but simple game for adults and children
• Wood board with storage sleeve
• Board unfolds to 5-1/4” x 17-3/4”
• 2 player strategy game

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 1.6 x 5.4 inches ; 2.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004T76D
• Item model number: 18001
• Manufacturer recommended age: 6 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,910 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

Product Description

Editorial Review

This might be the sturdiest game you'll ever own. This Mancala game in a cardboard sleeve has a solid oak playing board that unfolds to reveal the classic stone-moving game. Complete instructions are included as well as 48 pretty playing pieces that look a little like flattened marbles. The game's simplicity makes it a breeze even for children to learn, while the wealth of player options keeps it challenging for older players. Prepare kids for more complex abstract strategy games with this beautiful yet inexpensive Mancala set. --Rob Lightner

Product Description

The goal of each player is to collect the glass beads in his or her mancala (the big cups at each end of the game board). Begin your game by filling each cup (except mancalas) with 4 beads. A player then picks up beads from a cup and redistributes them, one at a time, into other cups around the board. A few simple rules govern which cups a player can drop a bead into and when a player's turn is over. Collect the most beads in your mancala to win the game! Then, fold the glass beads inside the game board and slip the board into a convenient storage box. Beads won't get lost! Oak-finish, hinged game board unfolds to 5-1/4x17-3/4. Includes 48 clear glass beads and instructions for basic game. For 2 players.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Board Games Editor at BellaOnline.com, December 15, 2005

By 

Megan Romer (Lafayette, LA) - See all my reviews

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

This review is from: Wood Folding Mancala in Sleeve (Toy)

Mancala is one of the most popular board games in the world, and one of the oldest; game boards have been found in Egypt dating back to 1400 B.C. It's a relatively simple game for two players that only requires counting, and it's very fun, for both kids and adults.

This is a great price for a real wooden game board with glass pieces. It's extremely portable, making it a great game for backseat travel or airplanes. Sick and tired of playing Candyland with your 6-year-old? Grab this game and you'll both have fun!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT GAME!!!!!, December 24, 2005

A Kid's Review

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Wood Folding Mancala in Sleeve (Toy)

I recently was in "The Nutkracker" and was stuck at shows and rehersals for hours in a little, noisy basement of a theatre...not so fun. One of my friends had this Mancala game and EVERYONE wanted to play it. We set up a little system where two people would play, another would play winner, someone would play that winner,And so on and so on. It was a LOT OF FUN!! We were never bored of it and had so much fun that after the Nutcracker shows were over I had to buy a board for myself, I love this game!!!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beware - compare picture on box to actual contents!, May 18, 2009

By 

J. Moore (Colorado) - See all my reviews

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Wood Folding Mancala in Sleeve (Toy)

I didn't buy my Mancala game from Amazon, but I did buy one this past Saturday (May 16, 2009) from another retailer. The manufacturer is Cardinal Industries, same as the version Amazon is selling.

The picture on my Mancala box looked just like the one on Amazon - brightly colored glass pieces, etc. HOWEVER, when I opened the game, instead of the glass "gemstones", there were ROCKS inside. The same kind of small, pea-gravel sized rocks I can pick up in my driveway.

The directions that came in the box also talk about "gemstones". So the outside of the box, and the description in the directions didn't match what was actually inside the box.

I went to the Cardinal Industries website, and on the website, the picture on the version of Mancala being sold on there shows rocks, instead of the glass pebbles. So, apparently, they have changed their product, but it seems that on the production line, some of the ones still being created for, and distributed to, various retailers have the WRONG PICTURE on the outside.

I feel this is misleading, and I believe Cardinal Industries should be charging a lesser price, since they are not providing the glass pebbles, but rather, pea gravel.

I have asked the retailer I bought mine from to refund my money. I asked for the refund, because they couldn't exchange it.....other boxes they opened up had the same pea gravel inside, even though the outside of the box showed the brightly-colored glass gemstones.

Again, I did not buy mine on Amazon, but I'm posting this warning here so that other people can watch out for rocks in their Mancala game, instead of what they actually paid for.....the glass "gemstones" pictured on the box, and described in the directions.