Milton Bradley Connect 4 Review

Overall 5.00 of 5 (by 1 user)

Katrena
Piedmont, NC

Connect 4 is Fun and Educational

a fan of educational toys, looking for inexpensive fun toys, all about practical, a savvy saver

Pros

simple to play, easy to assemble, doesn't take forever to play, stores in a box, can teach kids about strategy, can also play a pattern game alone

Cons

no extra checkers

OCT

2009

Milton Bradley's Connect 4 game was a toy that was around when I was little. Let's just say it has been around for a while. My sister, CyndiA bought this for one of my daughters as a gift--she's great at picking out awesome gifts for the kids and me.

Assembly

Connect 4 doesn't have numerous pieces to assemble. It has a grid with two end supports with a piece that slides onto the bottom of the grid. The grid has grooves that make assembly pretty simple. The game also comes with instructions with decent pictures for those who are assembly challenged.

How to Play Connect 4

This game is designed for two players-one with red checkers and one with black checkers. (The box says it is for people 7 and older, but my 5-year-old plays this game more than anyone--she'll just play it by herself and make patterns or try to "beat" herself.)

The first player places a checker in one of the seven slots. Then the next player chooses a slot in which to place his/her checker. The first player to get four checkers of their color in a straight line wins. The line can be horizontal, diagonal, or vertical.

Slide the lever and all the checkers come out the bottom--CRASH! and you're ready to play again. This one is particularly nice because the kids have actually learned how to assemble it, play it, and put it back in the box. I enjoy playing games with my kids, but it's nice to have a few games that they can also play on their own.

Safety Issues

Although checkers are pretty big, it would probably be best to keep this game out of reach of very young kids' hands.

My Viewpoint:

I thought Connect 4 was a fun game when I was a kid, and my kids now enjoy the game today. It is simple, plays fairly quickly, doesn't have a long assembly time, and can be educational as kids learn strategy, counting, and how to be a good sport when playing this game. My main suggestion would be to include a few extra checkers. There are 21 checkers of each color and there are 42 slots, and although the game usually doesn't go until all the slots are filled, that could be a possibility. With three small kids around the house, I think it would be nice to have a few spares.