Debuting in 1987, Parker Brothers' Pizza Party looked like it could be a fun game. And it was, when I was 3 in 1987. Having revived this game 2 weeks ago with my sister, I quickly discovered there's a reason why Parker Bros. intended this game for ages 4 to 8. You know how some games just say 4 and up? Well they made this one 4 to 8 because it is dullsville for anyone with the mental capacity beyond that of a sloth.
The object of this game was to be the first player to fill your pizza slice with all six of the same topping pieces. To start, each player selected a "slice" with a uniquely colored handle. The topping pieces were placed face down in the center of the table. A player would take his first turn by selecting a topping piece and placing it face up in an opening on his slice. That topping would then become the player's designated topping and his goal would then be to fill his slice with all six pieces of that topping. If another player already claimed the selected topping as his own, the piece was returned, face down, to the middle of the table. This was where it was useful to remember where your opponent placed unwanted pieces, because if it was yours, you could select it on your next turn. To mix things up a little, Parker Bros. also threw in "switch pieces." If a player selected a switch piece, they had to switch their in-progess slice with the slice that had the handle matching the color on the switch piece. If the player was in possesion of that color when the switch was selected, he must switch his slice with any other slice. This could be awesome or depressing, depending on the progress of your slice. You could either end up receiving a slice filled with 5 pieces or giving away a nearly complete slice. And as if the game wasn't simple enough, Parker Bros. does supply "Suggestions for Simpler Play" in the rules. This mainly involves leaving out the switch pieces. Personally, I think it's good for kids to learn at an early age that just when things are going your way, BAM-O! SWITCH!
For those interested, here's the commercial, courtesy of retrojunk: http://www.retrojunk.com/details_commercial/18714/
I must admit, I love the graphics on this game. I always wanted to be the pepperoni (mainly because that's my favorite pizza topping, but also because he was a cool, pensive-looking dude and his legs kind of reminded me of the California Raisins).
Other topping options included mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Mushrooms and peppers were female. Onions and pepperoni were male. Of course.
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