Hasbro's Pop-O-Matic Trouble (item A5064)Photo: Hasbro
The board with its built-in dice bubblePhoto: Hasbro
Press the bubble to roll the diePhoto: Hasbro
For 2 to 4 players aged 5 and upPhoto: Hasbro
Race your four pegs homePhoto: Hasbro
Kimble, Finland's version of the same gamePhoto: Liimes at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Video

Family game

Trouble

Pop the bubble, race four pegs home and bump your rivals

2–4players · best with 4
30–60 minplaying time
5+recommended age
Learning curve
Very easy1 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Mostly luck
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
Under a minute
Reading
None

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Children from 5 who are ready for turns and counting but not for reading

Think twice if You want a game adults will enjoy on their own; it is almost all luck

How we rate it

Learning curve. Pop, count and move. If your children know Ludo, they already know most of Trouble, which puts it with UNO and Connect 4 at 1 on our scale.

Luck & skill. Almost all luck: the die decides nearly everything. The only choices are which peg to move and whether to chase a rival.

Interaction. There is no trading or talking, but landing on a rival sends their peg home, and Warp spaces can bump someone from across the board.

Set-up. The first time, an adult fits the four rubber feet. After that, put four pegs of each colour in Home and start popping, all in under a minute.

Reading. No text during play; the die shows numerals and only the rules leaflet has words.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Is Trouble right for you?

Great if

  • Children from 5 who are ready for turns and counting but not for reading
  • Families who play Ludo and want a version with a die that can't be lost under the sofa
  • Four players at a family get-together, when bumping each other home is half the fun
  • A gift for young children that grandparents will recognise and can join in

Skip it if

  • You want a game adults will enjoy on their own; it is almost all luck
  • Your children already find Ludo too slow or frustrating; Trouble has the same race-and-bump feel
  • You need a quiet game, since every roll is a loud pop

How Trouble plays

Set-up: each player picks a colour and puts their four pegs in their Home. The Pop-O-Matic sits in the middle of the board: press the clear dome down and let go, and the die inside jumps and lands on a number. The first time you play, an adult fits the board's four rubber feet, as Hasbro says.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: Nothing to read during play: the die shows numerals and you count spaces. Once someone explains the rules, children can play it in Hindi, Tamil or any mix of languages. Only the rules leaflet is in English.
Press the bubble to roll the die · Photo: Hasbro

How to play Trouble (2016 rules - warp space) · Triple S Games

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Pop

    Press the Pop-O-Matic dome to roll. A 6 brings a peg out of Home or moves one 6 spaces, and gives you another pop.

  2. 2
    Move

    Move one peg clockwise by the number rolled. Land on a rival and send it back Home; on the current board, Double Trouble and Warp spaces give extra powers.

  3. 3
    Finish

    After a full lap, move your pegs into your Finish zone, where they are safe. The first player with all four pegs in Finish wins.

Read the official rulesTrouble Game instructions (Hasbro item A5064) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Trouble goes

You need a 6 to move a peg out of Home onto your Start space, and a 6 also gives you another pop. With a 2 to 5 you move one of your pegs on the track that many spaces clockwise. In Hasbro's current rules, as rules guides describe them, a 1 doesn't move you at all: instead every other player may bring a peg out of Home.

Land exactly on a rival's peg and it goes back to its Home, so it needs another 6 to come out. You can pass other pegs but can't finish on one of your own. Unlike Ludo, there are no safe stars and no blocks on the track; your pegs are only safe once they reach your Finish zone.

The current board adds optional Power Up spaces for a harder game. Land on a Double Trouble space (marked XX) and you take another turn. Land on a Warp space and you jump straight across to the matching space on the other side of the board, bumping any rival peg there. With very young children, you can leave these out.

After a full lap, each peg turns into your own Finish zone, and the first player with all four pegs there wins. Older rules need an exact roll to get in; the current rules don't, so agree on it before you start, as you would with Ludo house rules. A four-player game usually takes about half an hour.

What's in the box

The board with its built-in dice bubble · Photo: Hasbro
  • 1Gameboard
    a track with Home, Start and Finish areas in four colours
  • 1Plastic game unit with Pop-O-Matic die roller
    the die sits sealed under a clear dome
  • 16Pegs
    four each in red, green, blue and yellow
  • 4Rubber feet
    fitted under the board the first time you play
  • 1Instructions

Box: 27 × 27 × 5 cm, 0.35 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

From Hasbro's contents list for item A5064. Hasbro's Canada page adds the 4 rubber feet, which the India and US pages don't mention, and Hasbro's picture guide for the game shows the four peg colours. An adult needs to put the game together the first time.

Where to buy

Check price on Amazon.in
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

There is no Indian-made Trouble. Hasbro lists the game, item A5064, on its India consumer-care site, and our Amazon.in link goes to that box, sold through Hasbro's own store on Amazon.in; the listing gives the USA as the country of origin, so it is an import. Families who mainly want a race game for children can also look at Ludo, which needs no import and plays much the same.

Before you choose

  • The box should show the Hasbro Gaming logo and the Trouble name. Hasbro's item number for the current box is A5064.
  • Check the contents against Hasbro's list: a gameboard, a plastic game unit with the Pop-O-Matic die roller, 16 pegs (four each in red, green, blue and yellow), 4 rubber feet and instructions.
  • The die is sealed under a clear dome in the middle of the board. Press the dome and it pops; there is no loose die in the box.
  • Pop-up dice race games from other brands play much the same but are not Hasbro's Trouble. A listing that uses the Trouble name but names another brand, or none, is not this game.

What reviewers and players say

Trouble is remembered as a children's game first, and the Pop-O-Matic is the star: Father Geek's children loved it, and the bubble means no lost dice and no arguments over crooked rolls. The same reviewer, playing as an adult, found little to decide and said the endless click of the dome gets old fast; his verdict was approved by the children but rejected by the parent. Wikipedia sums it up as a game of high chance that sets up in under a minute and takes about half an hour. For Indian families it is best thought of as Ludo with a popping die: fun for children from 5, with the same frustration when a peg is sent home.

What people love

  • Pressing the Pop-O-Matic dome is fun for children, and the die can never be lost
  • Very quick to learn, especially for anyone who already knows Ludo
  • Bumping a rival back home causes plenty of shrieks and laughter
  • Optional Warp and Double Trouble spaces add surprise

Common complaints

  • Almost entirely luck, so adults soon lose interest
  • The constant popping noise wears on grown-ups
  • Being sent home again and again can upset younger players
Based on 4 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

More like Trouble

SIDE BY SIDE

Which game is the best fit?

Our picks if Trouble isn't quite right.

Swipe to compare every game

Trouble and alternatives: reasons to consider them, players, play time, age, rules and Indian editions.
Compare
the games.The details that make a difference.		 YOU’RE VIEWING
Trouble box Trouble
ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY Ludo box Ludo ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY Trouble Grab and Go box Trouble Grab and Go ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY Snakes and Ladders box Snakes and Ladders
Why consider itThis game

Pop the bubble, race four pegs home and bump your rivals

A different fit

The Indian family favourite Trouble descends from: four counters, a six to start, and cutting rivals

A different fit

A travel board with a cover and the same Pop-O-Matic dome

A different fit

An even simpler dice race for children from 4, with no choices to make

Players2–42–42–42–4
Best with4442-4
Play time30–60 min30–60 min20–40 min15–30 min
Age5+5+5+4+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionImportedAvailableAvailableAvailable
On this pageExplore Ludo Explore Trouble Grab and Go Explore Snakes and Ladders
FOLLOW THE MAKERS

More by Frank Kohner

Another way into their collection.

1 game to explore
Trouble Grab and Go box

Trouble Grab and Go

Pop the dome, race four pegs home, then close the lid

2–420–40 min5+
Meet the game
FOLLOW THE MAKERS

More from Hasbro

Another way into their collection.

5 games to explore
Monopoly box

Monopoly

Roll, buy property, collect rent, and bankrupt everyone else

2–61–6 hrs8+
Meet the game
Scrabble box

Scrabble

Build crossword words from letter tiles and chase the bonus squares

2–450–60 min8+
Meet the game
Jenga box

Jenga

Pull a block, stack it on top, don't topple the tower

1–85–15 min6+
Meet the game
Taboo box

Taboo

Get your team to guess the word without saying the obvious ones

4–1020–60 min13+
Meet the game
Monopoly Deal box

Monopoly Deal

Monopoly as a 15-minute card game of rent, raids and sets

2–515–30 min8+
Meet the game
EXPLORE THE STYLE

More roll-and-move games

Different games. A familiar kind of fun.

Explore this style
Ludo box

Ludo

India's favourite race game: roll a six, cut and race home

2–430–60 min5+
Meet the game
Snakes and Ladders box

Snakes and Ladders

Climb the ladders, dodge the snakes, first to 100 wins

2–415–30 min4+
Meet the game
Monopoly Junior box

Monopoly Junior

Monopoly for little ones: one die, simple rules, half an hour

2–420–30 min5+
Meet the game
Monopoly Junior: Peppa Pig Edition box

Monopoly Junior: Peppa Pig Edition

Monopoly Junior with Pig family tokens and places from Peppa's world

2–420–30 min5+
Meet the game
Trouble Grab and Go box

Trouble Grab and Go

Pop the dome, race four pegs home, then close the lid

2–420–40 min5+
Meet the game
A TABLE FOR TWO

Also playable with two

For game nights with two players.

5 games to explore
Snakes and Ladders box

Snakes and Ladders

Climb the ladders, dodge the snakes, first to 100 wins

2–415–30 min4+
Meet the game
Monopoly Junior box

Monopoly Junior

Monopoly for little ones: one die, simple rules, half an hour

2–420–30 min5+
Meet the game
Monopoly Junior: Peppa Pig Edition box

Monopoly Junior: Peppa Pig Edition

Monopoly Junior with Pig family tokens and places from Peppa's world

2–420–30 min5+
Meet the game
Shut the Box box

Shut the Box

Roll two dice, flip down the tiles, leave the smallest total

1–45–20 min6+
Meet the game
Match & Move Memory box

Match & Move Memory

Remember where each picture hides and race your piece home

1–415–20 min5+
Meet the game

Questions people ask about Trouble

Is Trouble the same as Ludo?

It is a close cousin. Both race four pieces from a home corner round the board, both need a six to come out, and both send a rival back home when you land on it; Trouble grew out of Ludo, which itself came from India's Pachisi. Trouble differs in its popping dice dome and its rules for a roll of 1, and the current board adds Double Trouble and Warp spaces.

How do you get a peg out in Trouble?

Roll a 6 to move a peg from Home to your Start space; the 6 also gives you another pop. In Hasbro's current rules, as rules guides describe them, when another player rolls a 1 you may also bring a peg out. You can't bring a peg out while one of your own pegs is sitting on your Start space.

What age is Trouble for?

Hasbro rates it for ages 5 and up, for 2 to 4 players. The pegs are small parts, so keep them away from children under 3, and an adult needs to fit the rubber feet the first time.

Do you need an exact roll to finish in Trouble?

It depends on the rules you play. Older Trouble rules need an exact count to move a peg into Finish. Rules guides for Hasbro's current box say you don't, which keeps the end of the game from dragging. Agree before the first pop, as families do with Ludo house rules.

Does Trouble need batteries?

No. The Pop-O-Matic is a clear plastic dome over a springy base: press it and let go, and the die jumps and lands. It works by hand alone, and the dome keeps the die from ever getting lost.

Game facts

Designed by
Frank Kohner, Paul Kohner, Fred Kroll
Publisher
Hasbro (Hasbro Gaming; first sold in the US in 1965, later made by Milton Bradley)
First published
1965
Players
2–4
Language
No reading – Nothing to read during play: the die shows numerals and you count spaces. Once someone explains the rules, children can play it in Hindi, Tamil or any mix of languages. Only the rules leaflet is in English.
Box size and weight
27 × 27 × 5 cm, 0.35 kg
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.