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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fun redesign of a classic board game, January 3, 2003
Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars
Contrary to other traditionalists who have faulted this product for its redesign I herald it. Parcheesi is a classic race game and elements of it have been copied by more germane modern games such as Sorry and Aggravation. Parcheesi does have strategy the others lack, which makes it a more enduring game. It is also fun to play! Traditional Parcheesi games are generally quite bland in design making the game unappealing to the uninitiated. Parcheesi is generally one of those "throw in" games that come with classic multi-game packs of Backgammon, Chess, Checkers, etc. Traditional boards with dice and cups are relatively easy to find, so I applaud Hasbro for adding some color and ethic flavor to the board to make it more visually appealing. This is no worse than a redesign of a classic Monopoly in a favorite pop culture theme like Star Wars or Simpsons. If a collector is looking to Hasbro for any true-to-tradition, elegant classic board game, be it Backgammon, Parcheesi, Chess or whatever, they are looking at the wrong publisher anyway. In an age where many children might come upon Parcheesi unaware of its Indian (not Native American) roots, I commend Hasbro for going all out in design to remind the player of its ethnicity. While this design is not traditional to Indian games, the cute animals, wooden dice, lovely Indian decorative flourishes, and rich tapestry colors do make for a lovely set up. As most American players are unaware of the mystical numbers associated with the various dice rolls, space location, etc., I think the lovely Lotus spaces, etc., do much to further contemplation that the game is more than just a fun race game. Many kids--let alone families--aren't "in" to board games any more. Parcheesi is a classic worthy of play; if a nice, updated design makes more kids apt to try it out, or more families try to play it together, then something good has been accomplished.
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