Video Game Board Games [part 3]: Q*BERT (Parker Brothers, 1983)

 

You have to admit, Q*BERT was one of the most unique video games invented during the Golden Age of arcade games, and it was an extremely popular one.  The little potty-mouthed guy was a hit with fans, too.  The game spawned sequels, and he even starred in his own cartoon as part of SATURDAY SUPERCADE for two seasons.

But can a board game replicate the gameplay of such an unusual design?

Initial set-up (note that some of the bad guys should be at the top, since they travel top to bottom).

Actually, yes! This is accomplished by taking turns (and needing two players), and having Player 1 be Q*Bert the first time, while Player 2 is the (what the instructions call) "Nasty" guys, and then vice-versa.

Q*Bert and his "nasty" enemies!

Another unique feature to the board game was the inclusion of special dice, and a rolling tube to keep Q*Bert's number secret until after your turn.

Also, the "nasty" (I keep thinking of Janet Jackson every time I type that) characters all move in different ways, just like the actual game. There are even flying discs to take Q*Bert back to the top of the pyramid.

Overall review: As I said, the game does its darndest to bring the specific mechanics of playing Q*Bert into your own home, as a board game.  This of course is not without some negatives:

1) No matter how successful you are at mimicking the actual actions of a video game, it is a much slower process when played as a board game, and kids (or excitable adults) can notice this...and they should probably just go play Q*BERT and get it out of their systems.

2) It's an oddly-shaped game (large and square), and doesn't stack or store well (hence my copy).  Pieces mostly fit into the tray, but the "rolling tube" needs to be disassembled every time and unfolded to actually store it. This leads to them wearing out and the tabs tearing over time. Also, since the game doesn't require a traditional flat board, and must be played in the box, if yours gets crushed, it will really screw up your experience.

3) This is a standard complaint with these (or any board games really), but if you lose enough of the special pegs, you won't be able to play the game correctly.  But this is true for all of the parts.

Once again, here are the (very detailed) instructions for the game, just in case anyone has lost theirs:

Stay tuned for another Video Game Board Game in the near future...