Editing Mastermind (board game) (section)

==Variations==
Varying the number of colors and the number of holes results in a spectrum of ''Mastermind'' games of different levels of difficulty.  Another common variation is to support different numbers of players taking on the roles of codemaker and codebreaker.  The following are some examples of ''Mastermind'' games produced by [[Invicta Plastics|Invicta]], [[Parker Brothers]], [[Pressman Toy Corporation|Pressman]], [[Hasbro]], and other game manufacturers:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Game !! Year !! Colors !! Holes !! Comments
|-
| ''Mastermind''
|align="right"| 1972
|align="right"| 6
|align="right"| 4
| Original version
|-
| ''Bagels''<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/bagels | title=Bagels (1972) }}</ref>
|align="right"| 1972
|align="right"| 10 digits
|align="right"| 3
| Also played as a word game with 2- or 3-digit numbers 
|-
| ''Royale Mastermind''
|align="right"| 1972
|align="right"| 5 colors × 5 shapes
|align="right"| 3
|
|-
| ''Mastermind44''
|align="right"| 1972
|align="right"| 6
|align="right"| 5
| For four players
|-
| ''Grand Mastermind''
|align="right"| 1974
|align="right"| 5 colors × 5 shapes
|align="right"| 4
|
|-
| ''Super Mastermind'' (a.k.a. ''Deluxe Mastermind''; a.k.a. ''Advanced Mastermind'')
|align="right"| 1972<ref>In Poland - Copyright Invicta 1972 in cooperation with Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza {{cite web|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/image/281994/ultimate-mastermind?size=large|title=BoardGameGeek|website=boardgamegeek.com}}</ref>
|align="right"| 8
|align="right"| 5
|
|-
| ''{{visible anchor|Word Mastermind}}''<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/5662/word-mastermind | title=Word Mastermind (1972) }}</ref>
|align="right"| 1972{{efn|Adapted for the [[ZX81]] home computer by [[Vortex Software]] in 1981.<ref>{{cite web | date=February 26, 2018 | url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/33087/Vortex-Software/ | title=Vortex Software&nbsp;– Company | publisher=[[The Centre for Computing History]]}}</ref>}}
|align="right"| 26 letters
|align="right"| 4
| Only valid words may be used as the pattern and guessed each turn.
|-
| ''Mini Mastermind''
|align="right"| 1976
|align="right"| 6
|align="right"| 4
| Travel-sized version; room for only six guesses
|-
| ''Number Mastermind''
|align="right"| 1976
|align="right"| 6 digits
|align="right"| 4
| Uses numbers instead of colors.  The codemaker may optionally give, as an extra clue, the sum of the digits.
|-
| ''Electronic Mastermind'' (Invicta)
|align="right"| 1977
|align="right"| 10 digits
|align="right"| 3, 4, or 5
| Uses numbers instead of colors. Handheld electronic version. Solo or multiple players vs. the computer. Invicta branded.
|-
| ''Super-Sonic Electronic Mastermind'' (Invicta)
|align="right"| 1979
|align="right"| 10 digits
|align="right"| 3, 4, 5, or 6
| Identical gameplay to the 1977 Electronic Mastermind. Super-Sonic version adds a sixth digit to potential codes. Gives an audible signal when the correct code is tried, or the code is revealed via the Fail key. Displays the length of time and number of tries to reach a solution. 
|-
|''Walt Disney Mastermind''
|align="right"| 1978
|align="right"| 5
|align="right"| 3
| Uses Disney characters instead of colors
|-
| ''Mini Mastermind'' (a.k.a. ''Travel Mastermind'')
|align="right"| 1988
|align="right"| 6
|align="right"| 4
| Travel-sized version; room for only six guesses
|-
| ''Mastermind Challenge''
|align="right"| 1993
|align="right"| 8
|align="right"| 5
| Both players simultaneously play code maker and code breaker.
|-
| ''Parker Mastermind''
|align="right"| 1993
|align="right"| 8
|align="right"| 4
|
|-
| ''Mastermind for Kids''
|align="right"| 1996
|align="right"| 6
|align="right"| 3
| Animal theme
|-
| ''Mastermind Secret Search''
|align="right"| 1997
|align="right"| 26 letters
|align="right"| 3-6
| Valid words only; clues are provided letter-by-letter using up/down arrows for earlier/later in the alphabet.
|-
| ''Electronic Hand-Held Mastermind'' (Hasbro)
|align="right"| 1997
|align="right"| 6
|align="right"| 4
| Handheld electronic version. Hasbro.
|-
| ''New Mastermind''
|align="right"| 2004
|align="right"| 8
|align="right"| 4
| For up to five players
|-123456
| ''Mini Mastermind''
|align="right"| 2004
|align="right"| 6
|align="right"| 4
| Travel-sized self-contained version; room for only eight guesses
|-
|}

[[File:Invicta Electronic Master Mind Game.jpg|thumb|upright|Invicta Electronic Master Mind game]]
There was also a version called ''Super Code'' produced in [[East Germany]] by [[VEB Plasticart]].

The difficulty level of any of the above can be increased by treating “empty” as an additional color or decreased by requiring only that the code's colors be guessed, independent of position. In ''Mini Mastermind'' the colored code pegs are the same size and shape as the colored or white key pegs so the difficulty can be increased by permitting the key pegs to be used as code pegs for two additional colors.

Computer and [[Online skill-based game|Internet versions]] of the game have also been made, sometimes with variations in the number and type of pieces involved and often under different names to avoid trademark infringement. ''Mastermind'' can also be played with [[Paper and pencil game|paper and pencil]].
There is a numeral variety of the Mastermind in which a 4-digit number is guessed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mastermind.idhost.kz/|title=Bulls and Cows Classic|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722142316/http://mastermind.idhost.kz/|archive-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> The 2021 web game ''[[Wordle]]'' has been compared to ''Mastermind'';<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pisani |first1=Joseph |title=Wordle Has People Digging Out Old Games. Mastermind or Jotto, Anyone? |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/wordle-has-people-digging-out-old-games-mastermind-or-jotto-anyone-11643586137 |website=The Wall Street Journal |date=31 January 2022 |publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc. |access-date=19 February 2023 |quote=Jan. 31, 2022 9:00 am ET Wordle fans are returning to childhood games including Mastermind, which tests players’ logic skills using color codes, similar to what Wordle does with words and letters.}}</ref> however, in ''Wordle'' a response to a guess indicates which letters (corresponding to code pegs) are correctly placed or incorrectly placed, whereas in ''Mastermind'' only the count of correctly and incorrectly placed code pegs are indicated.

The game was included in the compilation party video game ''[[Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics]]'' for the [[Nintendo Switch]] under the name "Hit & Blow".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/05/nintendo_shares_a_handy_infographic_featuring_all_51_worldwide_classic_clubhouse_games|title=Nintendo Shares A Handy Infographic Featuring All 51 Worldwide Classic Clubhouse Games|website=Nintendo Life| date=25 May 2020 |access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref>