Customer Reviews

Wood Folding Mancala in Sleeve

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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!!!

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.

This is cheap and nice. It's great that it's wood and not plastic -- and the pieces are good looking little marble-like things. I bought a wood chess board on Amazon recently and it was only $20. That's what motivated me to look for and find this.
Great game, cheap, and with nice looking natural material.

Mike P.

People have told me they love the extra durability of the metal storage tin for this Mancala game, so I recently ordered this specific version from Amazon. I ordered this from the Are You Game merchant, expecting it to come in the metal tin as described. The version they currently stock does NOT come in the metal tin. It comes in a cardboard cover. If you are looking for the metal cover, I recommend double checking what they have in stock before hand.

I remember discovering this game during a summer vacation in the Philippines (although there it is called "sungka"). So when I found this 'travel size' version in a tin cover, I grabbed it. Very sturdy, pretty pebbles, and we love that if folds away into the tin case.... Didn't know if my 5 year old would 'get' it yet but I taught her how to play in just a couple of minutes and now we're all hooked on this great game! Educational,too - I showed her how she can figure out strategies to keep her turn going - it requires simple addition, taking time to observe, etc. I know it's a good thing when she asks to play our 'pebble' game instead of asking to watch TV!

My friend got this game for her birthday and we play it everyday! This game has never gotten boring and the medal case is very durable. Glass stones come with it and they aren't too small or too big. It's a great game and I would recomend this one for younger kids. Now I wish it was in stock so I could get it, too!

My niece learned to play this game in school and wanted one for home so we got her one. I learned to play with her and she beat me many times. I could actually see her thinking through her strategy before she won. I bought one also, to learn about what it takes to win. We now have Mancala challenges that last for hours and it has become a great family game. The other great thing is we don't have to stay in the house to play. I highly recommend it. Very easy to learn.

The item I received is not the item in the picture!

In fact, the item in the picture, I had it a few years ago (bought at a store), and it was very smooth solid wood, nice clear stones with ribboned colored glass inside, and a great, solid metal case. I LOVED it but I couldn't find it anymore so I bought a new one for Christmas.

I did not receive the same product - the one I got was totally different, still wood but with very rough, poor looking wood, poor stones (not very clear or brilliant, quite dull in clarity and color) and a thin cardboard holder - and the holder is the worst part because it wont hold up over time. It would not have been so bad if I hadn't been expecting the quality of my previous set, which is the one pictured here.

On the upside, it is a Mancala set, so it will be fun, but the quality is not there, and part of the fun of Mancala is the beauty of the stones. Also, it is an inexpensive set, so if you are looking for an inexpensive one to keep just for a little while, it might suit your needs.

I have never actually received the WRONG product from Amazon, so I was really shocked, and I rarely if ever would rate a product so low. Sad.

As mentioned elsewhere, this does not come in a tin sleeve; it's merely cardboard. That's definitely going to affect its long-term durability. A disappointing bit of misleading marketing from Amazon on this one.