Components: Board, Player pieces (mice), cheese tokens, Mouse trap parts.
Skills required / taught: Chance, dexterity
Object: Trap the opponent’s mouse


About the Game
Mouse Trap is a board game first published by Ideal in 1963 for two or more players.


How it Works
Roll the dice and move your mouse the number of spaces rolled. If a player lands on a "build" space that corresponds with the number of players in the game (e.g. only "2-3-4" spaces for a four-player game), they must build the next unbuilt piece of the mouse trap, and take a piece of cheese, represented by cheese-shaped tokens. If the players reach the final loop of the board, they continue around it until the game ends; each "build" space in the loop requires a player to build two pieces of the mouse trap, and take two pieces of cheese.

Another space on the board is the "turn crank" space. Once the mouse trap is built, a player landing on one of these spaces while there is an opposing mouse on the "cheese wheel" space must turn the crank to start the mouse trap. If the cage falls on any opposing mice on the space, that player is out of the game. If there are no opposing mice on the "cheese wheel" space, the player may trade one piece of cheese, for the opportunity to choose an opponent who is not on a "safe" space and roll the die to move their mouse. Once there is only one mouse left in the game, that player wins.

In 2006, the game was re-released in the United Kingdom with a completely new design. There are now three mousetraps: the board and plastic components are completely different. Also, all of the mousetrap is set up in advance of the game.

Thought Bubble
How can the game premise of Mousetrap be repurposed? Perhaps simply to “outrun” a hunter or pursuer who is trying to lay a trap? Or have the mouse collect cheese (points) around a labyrinth board while being chased by the trapper?