Pressman Toys~ Mastermind and Animal Mastermind Towers games~ Review and Giveaway

We LOVE games at Home Grown Families.  We can't seem to get enough.  In my house, we have decided against cable and "on demand" TV/movie services.  So, instead of watching TV together, we play games!

We were so happy to have the opportunity to review Pressman Toys Animal Mastermind Towers and Mastermind!

Pressman was started in 1922 by returning serviceman Jack Pressman.  Success came after he acquired the rights for Chinese Checkers,.  He built on that success by acquiring character licenses to make toys featuring Ken, Barbie and Disney characters.  His wife introduced the first Doctor Bag for kids that were afraid to go to the doctor.  It was such a huge hit, that they eventually made a Nurses bag to go along with it because, hey, everyone knows that nurses do all the work anyway, right?  Jack has since passed but the company is run by his son, Jim, who took over in 1977.

Animal Mastermind is for 2 players ages 6 and up.  The description states:

Both players secretly stack their animal tiles in their towers. Now the challenge and fun begins. Who can guess the order of their opponent’s tiles first. On your turn you ask a yes/no question like “Is the lion below the giraffe?” Be the first player to guess the order correctly and you win!

Sounds simple, and it is~ if your 6 year old is good at reasoning.  Questions like "Is the lion below the giraffe?" are simple enough to answer but then your child must also be able to then think 'If A is above B and she said C is below D, then..."

The good news is, if your children need help at this kind of reasoning, Animal Masterminds is a fun way to help them master these skills.  I don't recommend it for any child younger then 6.

The Princess said "It was awesome!  I like the type of animals."  The illustrations were very cute and colorful and held the girls attention.  This game is on our shelf in our regular game rotation!

We also had the chance to review Mastermind.  The Princess and I really like this version!  It is challenging but so easy to understand!

In order to win in this classic board game, players must use strategy and problem solving skills to outsmart their opponent.  One player is the codemaker and creates a code of colored pegs. The other player is the codebreaker and attempts to break the code with help from clues given by the codemaker.  Players take turns being codemaker and codebreaker and whoever breaks the code in the least amount of moves wins.  Once the code is broken, the players can switch, finding out who can break the code more quickly, to get the title of MASTERMIND!

While it is for ages 8 and up, for some reason, this game seems to actually be easier for my girls to understand then the younger version.   Maybe it's because you are only playing one role~ you are either the Code Maker or the Code Breaker.  In the Animal Towers game, you are both.  Also, there are pegs in this game that are set out in such a way as to give the Code Breaker reminders about what he has uncovered so far.  Don't lose the instructions~ you'll need them to remind you how the pegs work each time you play.

The Princess and I get pretty competitive~ there's always an "In your face!" thrown in there somewhere from someone but that's how we play.  We like this game because we get to see who can break the code in the least amount of turns but we have to go 1 at a time so it builds up the suspense!  This game is also in our regular rotation!

We love Pressman Toys in this house and we know you'll love them, too.  Next time we want to try Mastermind for Kids!  So cute!!

BUY IT:  You can buy Animal Mastermind Towers for $12 and Mastermind for $15 at Pressman.

WIN IT:  One lucky HGF follower will win BOTH games for their game library!!

Press SEE MORE to enter via Rafflecopter!

Disclaimer:
HGF was not paid for this post. We were provided with a product to review, and we have provided our honest opinion as mothers. Thank you to the sponsoring company for working with HGF. You can view our complete PR policies here.

By entering this contest, you certify that you are 18 years old or older and that you have read and agree with the rules, our giveaway policy and disclosure:
U.S only except where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary.  Giveaway starts at the moment of the posting of this article and will run until 9/19/2011 at 11:59PM! The prize is both the Mastermind and Animal Mastermind Towers listed above with a total retail value of Twenty Seven Dollars {$27} and all prizes will be awarded. A list of winners will be available 7 days after the close of the contest by writing MomToSprouts {at} yahoo {dot} com.  All prizes are awarded and forwarded to the winner by the sponsor; in this case, Pressman Toys.  Please see Official Rules for more details.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.