Today being “Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,” Addy was granted a one-day reprieve from Kindergarten. I was off from the day job, as well, so naturally mischief ensued. We started easy, with a few rounds of “Hide and Seek,” during which she was reminded that I’m rather skilled at the whole hiding thing.
Used to do it for a living, kid.
Anyhoo, with that out of the way we started looking for something else to occupy time while we waited for The Mom to return from various appointments. Addy went digging into my infamous Vault and emerged with this little slice of ancient geekery:
Awwww, yeah.
Released by Parker Brothers in 1975 during the height of the show’s popularity, this is the first of two games tying into the series (the second was called Bionic Crisis). A third game tying into The Bionic Woman also was released. Now, don’t worry: I actually haven’t had this game in my closet for close to forty years. Kevin got this copy for me last fall, when he purchased it from a vendor at a convention where we were appearing as guests. I think he paid two dollars for the thing, which was and is in pretty decent shape and had all its various parts and pieces.
After playing the game for the first time in thirty-odd years, I think Kevin may have overpaid.
Okay, it’s not that bad; certainly no worse than any other quickie knock-off game based on a movie or TV show which were and are popular gaming targets. It’s a family board game, designed for quick play without a lot of rules, and young kids will enjoy it more than alleged adults. Addy certainly got a kick out of playing it, even though she’s only just inside the game’s targeted demographic (Ages 6-12). She picked up the rules rather quickly, and we were playing at breakneck speed in no time. I didn’t even have to pull any of those sly tricks parents often do so that the kid can win once in a while and not get discouraged. She beat me fair and square on the first game, I won the second game, and The Mom arrived home just in time to crash the party and win a third game.
I may have to go looking for a copy of Bionic Crisis, now.
And don’t worry: I’ll get even when I teach them how to play Martian Dice.
Does this game count as “nerdy,” even though the show was mainstream?
Well, it would certainly seem to be nerdy now…..
Awesome. Totally loved Steve Austin and Jamie Sommers. Yup, I’m a nerd. And proud of it. Thanks for the flashback…
I had not watched either show in many, many years until the DVDs came along. My best friend gifted me with the SixMil complete series set a couple of years ago, and I had a blast going back through it. My daughters also got a kick out of it and The Bionic Woman.
And now I do the occasional guest-hosting stint on a podcast retrospective for the shows, so my nerdity is complete.
Chutes and Ladders?
Not in this house. Not ever.
