1985 Milton Bradley Game of Ghosts!

The 1985 Milton Bradley game of Ghosts includes sixteen glow in the dark ghosts as game pieces. This special feature makes for a fun time playing the game with lights turned down low. Sneaking across the dungeon board in this two player game gives both the thrills and the chills.

Playing the game reminds me of a little of Milton Bradley’s game of Stratego.  That game was published in 1961 and is considered by many to be one of the top ten classic board games. In Stratego, players move their pieces blindly into his opponent’s territory, and pieces, in efforts to eventually capture his opponent’s hidden flag. The marked ranks of the Stratego game pieces face the player, so neither player knows exactly which of his opponent’s pieces is what (until battle). The game of Ghosts is like this.

There are two types of ghosts; good-spirited and bad-spirited. On the back of each ghost is an applied sticker indicating which type of ghost it is. With players sitting across from each other, only the player which moves the ghost knows which type of ghost is being moved.

The board is sectioned off into 36 rooms of a dungeon (6×6). Each player positions 4 good and 4 bad ghosts in the center spots of the first two rows (shown). It is up to the player to decide which kind of ghost begins where.

There are 3 different objectives in the game or ways a player can win. They are as follows:

• The first player to move 1 good-spirited ghost off the board by going through one of his opponent’s doorways (corner spaces) wins.
• The first player to capture four of his opponent’s good-spirited ghosts wins.
• The first player to have his opponent capture four of his own bad-spirited ghosts wins.

Taking turns, players move a ghost one space at a time in any direction he chooses, except diagonally. Only one ghost is allowed per space.

The opportunity to capture an opponent’s ghost exists when two opposing ghosts are adjacent to each other on a space of the board. A player may decide to move onto his opponent’s space, thereby capturing the ghost.  Remember, at the time of capture a player is unsure which type it is. Capture is always optional.

As can be imagined, players can bluff. Moving a ghost quickly towards his opponent’s door may give the impression the piece is a good-spirited ghost on his way to winning. However, is it? If a player’s opponent captures too many bad-spirited ghosts, he loses, and the other player wins.

This sneaky detail creates an exciting and entertaining game. The decision to capture is not always a trouble-free one to make! Like many games with simple rules, Ghosts is easy to play, and players will find themselves having a wonderful time together.

(This game can sometimes be found on sites like Ebay or at second-hand stores. Be sure to watch out for Ghosts!)