Stratego Original

Stratego is an entertaining game for two players, with 'incomplete information' where the pieces of the opponent are hidden. The initial deployment is not fixed, so there is scope for tactics and customisation right from the start. It is easy to learn and has quite a depth to it. The game has been around for nearly 100 years, though under other names, so it really has stood the test of time.This new edition gets a rock solid 5 stars from me (4 for just being Stratego), but there are good and bad points:The good: Great piece and board art, not gaudy like the previous edition. New tidy 'shield' piece design which slot nicely into a plastic tray to keep them secure. The Spy is now a seductive female which I think is a very nice touch (was previously an official-looking bloke in a top-hat). Spy is now rank 1 rather than "S" which could be confused with "5". The box is a more sensible book-shelf size.The bad: Warning! Stickers! Old-timers like me might not like this. Yes, even the Euro Jumbo versions now use stickers (but note art is tastefully done). Numbers on pieces similarly might not appeal ("I attack with my 9" doesn't sound as good as "I attack with my General"). But that's all there is to say against it really, and younger players won't remember the old Euro sets which didn't use numbers at all.Also slightly disappointing that Jumbo have never revised the rules, the cannon piece from Stratego 4 would make a good addition for many reasons, as the basic game needs a more elegant solution to chase scenarios (getting a bit too much into detail there though).A great game for young and old. If you loved it years ago you'll certainly be impressed overall with this new edition I think.

I've always loved this game.You still need to add the stickers to the playing pieces. Tedious, it took about half an hour. The trick is to bend back each little picture at its corner so that the corner just starts to detach from the backing paper. Then you can pull up the complete sticker easily.The pieces are made of good quality plastic, and the board is robust and nicely coloured.The game is the same as old, described by other reviewers.I would like like to point up, however, that a much higher depth of strategy can be brought to the game by making a few rule changes:1. Only allow attacks when two pieces meet head-on. The original rules allow attacks from the side and behind, so pieces become removed much too quickly for a real game of strategy.2. When attacks occur between pieces of the same value, allow both to remain on the board. The original rules require both pieces to be removed, again making the game too fast.3. The game ends only when a flag is captured (if it can be). A player who cannot move (eg, for want of mobile pieces) simply sits out the game while the other player continues. The other player may be unable to capture the flag, if defended by a mine. In that case, the game ends in stalemate. If neither player can move, also a stalemate.

I had heard of this game for many years and finally decided to purchase it. The game itself would be best described as a variant on chess, being a game of very simple moves on a very simple board. The objective is similar in that the game is about capturing a specific piece to win the game, in chess it is the opponent's King, in Stratego it is the opponent's flag. Each piece has a spcific way that it moves.However there is where the similarities end. Unlike chess where the layout is structured and all pieces are visible, Stratego plays things differently. The 40 pieces each player has can be placed in any combination on the 4x10 section they have for placing the pieces. How they set out their troops can in many ways win or lose you a game. Also the ranks and values of the various pieces are left hidden from the opponent so a certain amount of guesswork and strategy comes into it. Not knowing if the piece you are attacking can be taken or not until an attack is made provides real tension.The game as created by Jumbo is excellent in terms of its components. The pieces themselves are made from a sturdy plastic and resemble small towers where a sticker with a picture and numerical rank of the peice is placed on the straight side of the tower. if I have one complaint is that the size of the pieces and the stickers sometimes leads to crooked placings. I think it would ahve been far better if the pieces came with the ranks already upon them but this is a minor gripe. The board is sturdy and the rules are clear and easy to read. it comes with three versions of the game: Classic Stratego which is the full game, and also a smaller beginner's version and a variant where one of the scouts is replaced by an Infiltrator piece which allows you to look at the piece you are attacking rather than merely attacking it. I have not eyt tried the beginner or variant versions but the the main game holds up exceptionally well.All in all I thoroughly enjoyed and do not regret purchasing this game. if you have members of your family or friends who enjoy chess then Stratego can give them a similar but distinct challenge.

We lost our original version when we moved house several years ago. Now the children are a bit bigger we thought we would buy another one and they love it. They had to play a couple of times to understand the rules properly but now they are really competitive. Our youngest is 10 and she is brilliant at it. A great game for the family.

I bought this for my 8 year old grandson.I was a little apprehensive as I wasn't sure if it could compete with ipads etc, but was pleasantly surprised. Both the 8 year old and his 6 year old brother loved it and enjoyed trying to 'beat' their opponents with their strategic play. So nice for a more traditional game to entertain young people (and their dad) for hours. Well done Stratego!!!!

UNLIKE THE ORIGINAL YOUR HAVE TO STICK ON THE MEN

Bought this for a young adult. We are having great fun playing this.

Bien

Gioco di strategia molto interessante e valido. Adatto a ragazzi anche abbastanza piccoli ma una buona sfida anvhe per adulti.

Me decidí por esta versión y no la española por el precio (muy muy bien de precio comparado con otros establecimientos). Como dicen los comentarios, las instrucciones no vienen en español pero se pueden encontrar fácil por Internet. A cada ficha hay que ponerle una pegatina, por lo que la primera vez que lo usas se hace algo pesado, pero por lo demás es un juego muy entretenido y recomendado. Lo compré para regalar y triunfó.

All, adults and kids, love this game. It's a very good strategic board game. We had fun playing with it.