Battleships

I went charity shopping and picked up the Blue Peter Explorer board game (I paid £1 which is a bargain compared to the quoted price on the link!) and a practically new Battleships . Useless Fact Alert - a feature film is being made based on the board game due for release in 2011(how?). We have a similar game to Battleships called "Needles in Haystacks" from ELC but I thought we were approaching a time when the game in its original format would appeal.

BUT.

What I didn't count on was my pacifist children (two of) who hate the thought of blowing up a ship as they can visualise the little sailors on board screaming and drowning, or the crazed would-be bomber (one of) who would take a worrying amount of pleasure in destroying his opponents fleet complete with maniacal laugh.

Is there a good strategy to this game? Od spread her ships far and wide, creating cunning patterns whereas the boys did this:

Notice a clumping theme there? It got me thinking as to whether this is a girl/ boy thing or an age thing being that Od is the eldest. Has that extra bit of time on this planet made her that little bit more cunning? I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the matter.....

Then there is this:

Mb, the boy who can make a pattern out of any thing. He spent ages playing and re-arranging the pegs in a pattern that satisfied him. The above is a work-in-progress. Below is the final pattern (again with wonky photo taking. Poop.):



So, what started as an innocent little bit of shopping has once again twisted and turned itself into a strange chain of thoughts about the inner workings of my children's brains.

We haven't even opened the Blue Peter box yet....