I never played this game, but as a kid I always wondered what it was about, now I know.

Maybe our household wasn't normal but my three siblings and I would play this game properly. And, yes, when the first two players get to the final-loop part of the game it can take a few turns before someone lands on the cheese whilst the other player lands on the crank. But that gives the other players a chance to catch up. There are only six squares in that final-loop part of the game, so by the time three or four players get there you get to set off the trap quite often.

Part of the appeal was the fact that the trap wouldn't always work. Sometimes the ball would get stuck at the bottom of the rickety stairs, or the spring-loaded "helping hand" wouldn't fire when the ball hit it, or the man on the diving board would jump into the pool only for the cage to stubbornly sway at the top of the pole without dropping. If the trap fails to work then you gain a reprieve, the trap is reset, and the next player takes their turn.

So when you finally get to turn the crank to set off the trap there's a sense of anticipation with one player rooting for the trap to work and the other hoping that it jams up somewhere. And then there's all the oohs and aahs and cheers in reaction depending on who you're rooting for.

Great game, I loved it.