My young son loves this game and we play all sorts of variations including moving the main ice piece that holds the bear to different places so we can experiment with the "physics" of the game. (So there is a true educational element.) We also try to put the ice pieces back in the frame using different patterns of insertion. This helps kill the time factor in getting the game pieces ready to play.

With its minimum of rules anyone can pick this game up in a minute. It's fun and can be played by "kids" of all ages. Given its low price, it's a no miss. Even if little children get more fun out of making the bear fall than not, so what? Think of it as a more versatile "hammer & peg bench" toy.

There are some durability issues. If one of the tabs that hold the ice breaks, you are out of luck. The frame consists of two pieces that slide together and the connection is prone to breakage. Still, at this price point it's a lot easier to replace than many of the fragile toys that cost far more. In fact you could buy every toy in the Milton Bradley "Cootie" line and still be under the cost of just one other plastic toy.

A good bet for a good price.

This one is a classic (Rating: 0.00)
Review : I loved this game as a child. We still have the one I played with 16 years ago.

Break the Ice is a simple game anybody can play. There is a man sitting on a big piece of ice. You want to knock out the pieces around him, but not knock out piece that will send him falling. It's simple enough but it does take some stratedgy.

We have a lot of kids that come through my house for different reasons, and I've never met one that didn't get a kick out of this game. It's a fun family game and a must for a small child.

Mom to a 4yr old (Rating: 0.00)
Review : The is a classic game, whose appeal has not been lost. NO batteries or flashing lights etc... My little girl at 3 loved this game. It was one of the first games she could play, that the adults(aunts, uncles etc) and older kids (8&9 yr old neighbors, cousins) were willing to play with her and not be bored themselves. So consequently she got to play again and again. The downfall is it does take an older child or adult for setup. So if you need a game to draw your toddler into the mix at family get togethers, this is it. We have not had problems with durability like the other reviewers.

A great game (Rating: 5.00)
Review : I still remember playing Don't Break The Ice when I was a kid, it was always one of my favorite games. I don't have any kids of my own yet, but I have a niece and me and her played this game for a few hours straight one day. She probably has even more fun playing it than I used to. It's a game that any adult can play with their kid, niece, etc. and have a good time with them. My niece especially gets a kick out of it when I break the wrong piece of ice and I lose. Don't Break The Ice can teach them some strategy skills if nothing else.

If you have any kids around, I recommend getting Don't Break The Ice, they'll have a lot of fun with it.

A Classic - though, of course not, "made like they used to" (Rating: 0.00)
Review : My kids 4 & 6 got this for Christmas and they both love it, though my 4 yr old loves it more. This is a game that is short enough that they can play it together over and over again and it keeps their attention. It takes my 6 yr old to "build" the ice into the tray though. The box that this comes in is very cheap (like most of them nowdays), you may want to get a plastic bin with lid to keep the pieces in. Also, nearly impossible to fit everything back into the original box (especially for little kids). I was surprised at first how much they played it over and over again, but then remembered how much my sister and I loved to play it when we were kids :).