Board Game Review: Sorry!

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun game with some twists on the classic set up

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Race around the board

Hope to avoid Sorry! card

Classic all enjoy

You Will Not Be Sorry! You Played This Classic Board Game

Some board games come and go while others stand the test of time.  One of those classics is Sorry!  Yes, there are some variations of the game out there, but the classic is still going strong and still incredibly fun.

The premise is simple and familiar in board game circles - get your four pieces around the board from start to finish.  It's the rules of the game that change things up and make it fun and unique.

The biggest change here is that instead of rolling dice, you flip over cards to see how far you move your pieces.  The numbers range from 1 to 12, and they are fairly evenly distributed.  Some of the numbers have special rules.  For example, you can only move a piece out of start with a 1 or a 2.  A 4 always means you move backwards.  With a 10 you can move 1 backward or 10 forward.  A 7 allows you to split your move between two pieces while an 11 allows you to switch position with any piece of an opponent.

Then there's the Sorry! card.  This card allows you to move any of your pieces from your start space to any space occupied by an opponent, sending that opponent's piece back to his start.  It can be a great boon for you, a set back to them, and if you are really lucky, both.

Slides are another part of the game.  If you land at the start of a slide, you get to move down to the end of it, moving any opponents in your way back to their start.  Heck, any time you land on an opponent, they go back to start.

Like many games, it is a fun combination of luck (drawing the cards) and strategy (which piece will you move the required number of spaces).  I played this game plenty growing up, and I always found it to be fun.  And you never know who will win.  I recently played it again with my niece, and she had almost all her pieces home yet never got the card she needed to win, so Uncle Mark came from behind and won.  (Bad Uncle Mark!)

The official description on the game says ages 6 and up, but my niece is 4 - almost 5.  She's played before and obviously has no problem knowing the rules.  Depending on your child, you might be able to play it with them early.

Either way, this is a game that belongs in every family's game closet.  Sorry! is still fun and challenging no matter how old you are, meaning all ages can enjoy it together over and over again.