Mother Road Route 66, The

Sid Sackson is thought by many to be the greatest American-born game designer. Sackson designed The Great Races in 1974 (published by Gamut of Games). He also designed Can't Stop in 1980 (published by Parker Brothers). Eagle-Gryphon Games has integrated elements of these two Sackson designs, and developed a new game called The Mother Road, Route 66. Its publication in 2021 celebrates the 101st anniversary of Sid Sackson's birth.


The Mother Road is a press-your-luck race across Route 66 by 2-4 players (5 can play if using the Pink Cadillac expansion). The player pieces are wooden cars, representative of classics found on Route 66 in days gone by -- a canary yellow 60's Mustang; a pale blue Thunderbird from the 50's (with portholes); a cherry red Ford pickup truck (featured in the Eagle's first big hit Take It Easy); and a black Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Lots of Route 66 iconic landmarks are represented by photos and graphic images on the nearly 4 foot long neoprene mat board for the game; and the dice are all in player colors too! Races are usually closely-contested and take 30-45 minutes. The rules are easily learned, and this game can be enjoyed by serious or casual gamers ages 8 & up.