Mouse Trap Guide: Rules, Cheese, Trap Spaces & Strategy
Mouse Trap
Race around the board collecting cheese, steal from opponents and trigger the chain-reaction trap to slow rival mice.
Hasbro C0431 uses a preassembled trap and a cheese-race objective. The first player to collect six cheese wedges wins.
Why it matters
Mouse Trap has changed substantially across editions. C0431 uses Add, Steal, Lose and Launch-the-Trap spaces plus a Cheesy Danger Zone, so older rule summaries can be misleading.
Game at a Glance
Six Cheese
Complete a six-wedge cheese wheel to win.
Add Cheese
Yellow spaces give a wedge from the stash.
Steal Cheese
Green spaces take one wedge from another player.
Launch the Trap
Blue spaces can send an opponent to the Danger Zone.
Rules overview
Each player starts with one cheese wedge and a mouse on Start. Roll the die, move clockwise and follow the space landed on. Add, steal or lose cheese, use matching tunnels and launch the trap when allowed. The first player to collect six cheese wedges wins.
Key decisions
When a Launch-the-Trap space appears, choose the opponent whose lost cheese creates the largest swing. Tunnel choices and steal targets can also change the race.
Learn Mouse Trap in depth
Focused Mouse Trap rules
Related games
- Trouble — roll-and-move family race
- The Game of Life — classic family board movement
Publisher sources & scope
Hasbro Mouse Trap C0431 instructions. Facts checked September 27, 2026.