I loved Master Mind as a kid, but as a parent I appreciate it even more.
- First of all, an adult or older child can play with a five year old and still be challenged.
- Second, even a five year old can play this game!  Someone has to coach them through it each round at first, but my daughter got the hang of it and can play it.  She prefers to be the one making the code, not breaking the code, but that's fun too.
- Third, this teaches logic by not only having to break the code but also the other player has to translate their opponent's guess into the white/colored pegs.  It all really helps the kids with their thinking skills.  True, once you've figured out a basic strategy the logic part starts to become secondary and it can be a formulaic game (my kids haven't gotten there yet).  But I still enjoy it.  I stopped using my color elimination strategy, I'm not in it to beat my kids, but to enjoy the game with them.  And then it makes me think!

As other reviews mention, this version is flawed and I much prefer the version from my childhood.  It had a wood-like color (still plastic), the peg colors were more primary-like, and it was easier to work with the removable hood (the hood in the new version flips up & down).  There was also the fun ending of taking the hood off the board for the big reveal, it's anticlimactic to me that when you flip the hood you're not looking at your code anymore.

It's also much harder to clean up the pegs on this version.  Yes, it's nice to have the storage tray, but because it's attached to the game you have to actually pull the pegs out individually for clean up.  Way too cumbersome, we used to just dump it into the box storage area.  And I agree it's also hard to close that storage area.  But still, even with these gripes, it's worth it for the game!
I loved Master Mind as a kid, but as a parent I appreciate it even more. - First of all, an adult or older child can play with a five year old and still be challenged. - Second, even a five year old can play this game! Someone has to coach them through it each round at first, but my daughter got the hang of it and can play it. She prefers to be the one making the code, not breaking the code, but that's fun too. - Third, this teaches logic by not only having to break the code but also the other player has to translate their opponent's guess into the white/colored pegs. It all really helps the kids with their thinking skills. True, once you've figured out a basic strategy the logic part starts to become secondary and it can be a formulaic game (my kids haven't gotten there yet). But I still enjoy it. I stopped using my color elimination strategy, I'm not in it to beat my kids, but to enjoy the game with them. And then it makes me think! As other reviews mention, this version is flawed and I much prefer the version from my childhood. It had a wood-like color (still plastic), the peg colors were more primary-like, and it was easier to work with the removable hood (the hood in the new version flips up & down). There was also the fun ending of taking the hood off the board for the big reveal, it's anticlimactic to me that when you flip the hood you're not looking at your code anymore. It's also much harder to clean up the pegs on this version. Yes, it's nice to have the storage tray, but because it's attached to the game you have to actually pull the pegs out individually for clean up. Way too cumbersome, we used to just dump it into the box storage area. And I agree it's also hard to close that storage area. But still, even with these gripes, it's worth it for the game!