Risk 40th Anniversary
Average Customer Review:
Toy

US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (32)

THIS IS THE BEST GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i love this game! it is so much fun! the meatallic pieces are a great touch. the board is redrawn and is AWESOME! This is the BEST!!!!!!!

Fun in two ways!
This game is alot of fun. IT is fun playing the game and having wars with the people. I want to collect all the risk games so I can battle with the peices.
Remake D-Day,its alot of fun!

Risk 40th is the one to buy
when i used to see people play risk i thought they were losers because all it looked like was just moving little pieces around the board.I played it at myfriends house and it was so fun.now i want to buy the game. ... Read more

Asin: B00000IWFF
Sales Rank: 18231
Subjects:  1. Games    2. Board Games    3. Family Favorites    4. Strategy Games   

Stratego
Average Customer Review:
Toy
-- our price: $15.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

To arms! A harsh and lonely battlefield is the setting for Milton Bradley's newly redesigned Stratego board game. A removable fortress barrier sequesters your army from prying eyes whilst ye prepare yourselves for a most lengthy and glorious conflict. Utmost care must be taken as you place your men.From the lowliest scout to the highest-ranking marshal, all must make ready to encounter enemy bombs, defend the flag, and steel themselves to triumph over the foe. Skillful planning, a keen memory, and sleight of hand will be your allies. Onward, for King and for Country! Spanish and English instructions are included. Stratego is for two players. --Julie Ubben ... Read more

Reviews (64)

the game of stratego
i think this game fills you with interest. Using strategy this game is like a army game.you have players and the wapons you need. Bombs, a spy are the traps youyou need to destroy the best player. This gameis great and the best! also, the best part is the STRATEGY.

A great find
I play this game with my almost 6 year old. I know he is a little young but he has figured out which piece is higher, the bombs, how and who can move, and basically the concept of capturing the flag.although his is a bit young to fully stratagize he is able to think about it which I believe is very educational.Although he is not able to fully stratagize we still have fun getting to the point where one of our flags are captured.And even if this happens he wants to keep playing.This game is great for now and will be even better as he gets older and can think on a more mature level.

THIS GAME IS AWESOME!!
Combine the simplicity of checkers with the suspense of clue and the moves of chess, and you have Stratego.
This is an awesome game, and I am normaly not a board game finatic.
The object is to capture an enemy's flag.
You have different ranking pieces (10 beats a 9 etc. only a spy beats the 10)
Which you attack the enemy pieces with.
Have a good setup, or just good strategy, and you might get past your opponent's bombs and avoid their powerful pieces ( Namely the 10 9 and two eights)
And you might just capture the enemy flag.
This game is incredibly easy to learn, but hard to master.
Overall, it is one of the best games I have ever played. ... Read more

Asin: B00000DMFU
Subjects:  1. Games    2. Board Games    3. Family Favorites   

Battleship
Average Customer Review:
Toy
list price: $15.99 -- our price: $15.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Battleship captains plot their strategies, send out torpedoes, and as the last ship (often the smallest, two-peg patrol boat) hides in an unsuspected corner, anticipation mounts. Like many classic games, Battleship walks a fine line between strategy and luck. The goal is to conceal the location of your ships while finding and destroying your enemies' fighters. The playing arena is a notebook-size plastic board updated for '90s sensibilities: the "floor" of the board is printed with waves and the exterior vaguely resembles a laptop. The design mimics the view a submarine captain would have, complete with a glimmer of radar waves. The game is perfect entertainment to share: simple enough for children, yet gratifying enough for adults to enjoy. One design decision keeps this edition from being truly stellar: the playing boards don't lock securely, allowing the small pegs to fall out and spill from the sides if jostled. --Jennifer Buckendorff ... Read more

Reviews (46)

A great little logic test.
This game is a classic and it really gets kids thinking about plotting the possibles and probables. They don't even realise it's educational as it's such fun. The design makes it a perfect travel game. A great one to get out when the chorus of "are we there yet?", is driving you crazy and playing "eye spy" is making everyone loose the will to live rapidly!
I even get away with playing my knid of music without the children moaning or noticing!

Lots of fun...
This game is pretty fun, you don't have to think too much and the instructions are easy enough as well. I do agree with the one reviewer who saaid that the pegs can be horrible if scattered everywhere. What we do is keep them in seperate plastic bags, and unwrap them before the game starts. It's a little bit more time-consuming, but that way it keeps them from winding up in a kid or pet's mouth.

You've Sunk My Battleship!
I just bought this game, because I remembered how much fun I had playing it when I was younger.This is one of those games that never gets old, and anyone from a child, to an adult can have fun playing it.

You each have a console, with 2 grids: your ocean grid where YOUR ships are, and the striking grid.The object of the game is to shout out coordinates to try and sink your opponent's ships.By marking them in the grid above, you then strategize where your opponent has placed his/her ships.You either have a "hit", or "miss".Play continues until you have sunk all of the ships on the other player's console.

There are many ways you can play this game.You can even make a few rules up if you like.There are also different forms of play in the instructions, inside the box.

One example of play that I like: if you sink your opponent's Battleship, the game is automatically over, and you've won.

All in all, this game is alot of fun.The consoles are pretty durable, and there are spots for you to store the ships, and the hit/miss pegs.As far as educational value, I think it would help children to work with grids, and strategizing.You have to be aware of what size ships you are dealing with and where they will fit on the grid (in the NON-hit spaces that remain on your opponent's grid).

I prefer this version to the electronic version.There are no sound effects and no noise, which I think makes it easier and less hassle.

If by chance you haven't played this game, buy it today! ... Read more

Asin: B00000DMBB
Subjects:  1. Games    2. Classic Games    3. Board Games    4. Family Favorites   

The American President (PBS Box Set)
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape
list price: $79.98
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Who were the U.S. presidents? What did they accomplish? What qualities defined them, both as public figures and private men? In this made-for-PBSdocumentary series, brilliantly adapted from the acclaimed book The American President, these questions and others related to the presidents are answered with rare insight and intimacy. As in the book, the 41 lives of the 42 presidencies (Grover Cleveland served on separate occasions as the 22nd and 24th president) are not presented chronologically but are, rather, episodically linked by common personal traits and circumstances of their terms in office. For example, an episode called "The Heroic Posture" explores the careers of four presidents--Washington, Harrison, Grant, and Eisenhower--who came to their positions as a result of heroism in the service of their country. "Happenstance" looks at five presidents who moved from the vice-presidency to the White House upon the death of the president, and how these ascensions tested their worthiness as politicians. "An Independent Cast of Mind" weighs the pros and cons of presidencies marked by a lack of the messy political maneuvering that is apparently necessary for presidential success (none of the four portrayed--including John Adams and Jimmy Carter--achieved a second term).

This focus on the prominent aspects of these exceptional personalities brings an understanding of them that transcends their historical legacies. Broad portraits are painted here, the brushstrokes of which range from public policies and convictions to romantic indulgences (it's true--this kind of scandal is nothing new to the presidency) and even to certain presidents' smoking and drinking habits. Further bringing these stories to life is a seemingly exhaustive album of presidential photographs, voice characterizations by celebrated figures such as Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf and Walter Cronkite, and revealing interviews with living former presidents (and one sitting president). Thorough, balanced, and fair, this series is destined to become a historical documentary classic and is a must-see for anyone interested in American history and the story of the most powerful office in the modern world. --Ed Noble ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Black & White
• Closed-captioned
• Box set
• NTSC

Reviews (7)

At least I didn't have to listen to any bull about #43
The best thing about this 5 disc collection, is that I didn't have to hear a single uttered word about George W. Bush.That is one man I want to forget all about, as soon as possible.

American History Teachers should check out this one
The simple but ironic rule of thumb for "The American President" PBS series is that the less you know about a particular President the more you will be impressed by a particular segment, and visa versa.Of course, this certainly makes sense.Reducing the Presidency of Washington, Lincoln or FDR into a 10-12 minute block is extremely reductionalistic.But for the lesser lights of history these segments can be quite revealing.I certainly had more respect for John Quincy Adams than I had before.This is not to say you will not learn anything new from the other segments; I was surprised to learn that Truman's poll numbers when he left office were lower than Nixon's before his resignation.

The format is that each tape, with one exception, presents five American Presidents lumped together thematically: (1) "Family Ties" looks at those men born to the office: John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison, Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy; (2) "Happenstance" looks at most of Vice-Presidents who became"accidental" Presidents: John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur and Harry Truman; (3) "An Independent Cast of Mind" covers John Adams, Zachary Taylor, Rutherford B. Hayes and Jimmy Carter; (4) "The Professional Politician" covers Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson; (5) "The American Way" features Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Ronald Reagan; (6) "The World Stage" looks at internationalist presidents: James Monroe, William McKinley, Woodrow Wilson and George Bush; (7)"The Heroic Posture" looks at the war hero Presidents: George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Ulysses Grant and Dwight Eisenhower; (8) "Compromise Choices" examine the administrations of Franklin Pierce, James Garfield, Warren Harding and Gerald Ford; (9) "Expanding Power" covers the imperial presidencies of Andrew Jackson, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt and Richard Nixon; and (10) "The Balance of "Power" finishes off the series with James Madison, James K. Polk, William Taft and Bill Clinton.

It is impossible not to look at this arrangement and not see some obvious liabilities.LBJ does not get dismissed as an "accidental" President while Jefferson ends up representing the "American Way" more than an "Independent Cast of Mind." Putting Jefferson, Coolidge, Hoover, and Reagan in the same category seems rather forced.But this is just quibbling because once you decide not to proceed chronologically through the Presidents it is always going to be open to debate.This format at least sets up some comparisons and contrasts that would engender classroom debate (or you can feel free to quibble in the sanctuary of your own mind).

Each program is narrated by Hugh Sidney, who has been the White House correspondent for Time magazine for as long as I can remember.Harvard scholar Richard Neustadt offers up academic preachments on each President, having interviewed most of the living Presidents for their own insights.Whenever possible the actual voices of the Presidents are used, while for the others John Glenn, Walter Cronkite, Morley Safer, Norman Schwarzkopf, and a host of others provide the voices (Bob Dole is Hoover and Colin Powell is Taft).

Obviously this series is a godsend for history teachers who can pick and choose particular Presidents to show their class.For example, showing a class the segment on Hoover before getting to the Depression, FDR and the New Deal, would be quite beneficial.I would also think the segments on Buchanan, Cleveland and Ford would be particularly useful.I feel less secure recommending the segments on the more important Presidents since I have to think most textbooks will cover pretty much the same point."The American President" series helps best when it fills in the gaps of your standard American history textbook.But if that is what you are teaching, then you should certainly invest some time going through this series and seeing what could work for you and your cherubs.

Highly entertaining video series (some caution needed)
The American President video series is probably the best overview of the Presidents I have seen to date. I thought the grouping of each President into categories (i.e. "Happenstance", "The Heroic Posture", etc.) was a unique and thought provoking way to arrange the material. I especially appreciated the material on obscure Presidents such Fillmore and Arthur. For the most part the commentary by Richard Neustadt is worthwhile. Also, the voices used for the earlier Presidents were for the most part well done.

There are criticisms though. The first is that the presentation of Eisenhower is far, far more critical than positive and Eisenhower was a much better President than Neustadt would have us believe. Perhaps his opinion is skewed because he worked for Harry Truman and carries too much bias into his review. Secondly, in a couple of situations, Presidents are placed in the wrong category. JFK's placement in the "Family Ties" category comes to mind since all of the other Presidents in that segment were related to a previous President and JFK is the only one there who was not related to a previous President (had they waited a couple of years to release this, George W. Bush would be an obvious inclusion in this category). Thirdly, Neustadt reveals outright hypocrisy in his views of Nixon and Clinton. In the Nixon segment he claims Nixon's Watergate actions were "unforgivable" while he then gives Bill Clinton a COMPLETE WHITEWASH. This is absolutely inexcusable on Neustadt's part and it harms the integrity of the video series.

Still even with those criticisms, I still recommend "The American President" though watch out for Mr. Neustadt's partisan bias (which he only reveals on some Presidents, not all). ... Read more

Asin: B00004T3BF
Subjects:  1. Documentary