Released in 1971 by Milton Bradley, The Partridge Family Game is based on the sitcom of the same name, which aired on ABC from 1970 to 1974. The game’s background offers a glimpse of what life on the road was like for one of TV’s favourite fictional pop bands.
On the back of the game box is this explanation of the game: “As on TV, many happenings occur to the Partridge family, this game describes one of them. They have finished playing at a local arena and must hurry to their BUS to get traveling again. On the way, they may have some delays.”
Designed as a simple racing game, the game’s racetrack spirals around the board and ends at the famous Partridge Family school bus, in all its tricked-out, Mondrian-patterned glory.
To play, two to four players each take on the role of one of four regular characters on the show: Laurie, Mom (Shirley), Keith or Danny. Unfortunately, players interested in “becoming” drummer Chris, tambourine player Tracy, or cranky band manager Reuben Kincaid are out-of-luck.
Players advance around the track through the roll of a die. If a player lands on a space with a partridge picture, a card is drawn that provides instructions (ahead 3, lose a turn, back 3, etc.). As you can see from the sample cards shown on the right, Tracy isn’t entirely absent from the game and is in possession of a cool “mini bike.”
The object of the game is to be the first player to get back to the tour bus, ready to hit the road for the next gig.
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