5 Second Rule

In our house we adopt the five second rule whenever anyone drops a yummy piece of food on the floor.  As long as you declare the 5 second rule ruling, you are free to eat the treat from the floor without anyone looking at you in disgust!  This rule is regularly evoked with Freddy's habit of throwing tasty morsels around the living room.

However, this post isn't about our dirty eating habits, it's about a fabulous new family game from University Games, 5 Second Rule, that we were sent to test.  It is a game of "quick thinking and fast talking" for 3 to 6 players ages 8 and up.

The game involves having to name three things on a designated subject in just 5 seconds.  This could see you having to name three species of fish, three types of cheese or three things you'd find in a shed.  Each card has a different question, some more challenging than others.  If you fail to name three things in 5 seconds play passes on to the player on your left until someone succeeds and gets to move their playing piece one space on the board.

Pass on and Switch cards and a Danger Zone on the board shake up the gameplay and keep things interesting, in this fast paced family game.

The five second timer is absolutely brilliant.  Ball bearings travel down a spiral in a tube...when they hit the bottom your time is up.  It is a very satisfying way of timing your 5 seconds.  2 year old Freddy thinks it's the funniest thing he's ever seen and it makes him giggle everytime it's turned over!

We tried out the game with the minimum number of three players and then again with five players.  It worked equally well both times.  I liked it because 8 year old Kizzy was just as able to compete as her 19 year old university student sister.  It was a level playing field which is an important factor in family games.

There was lots of laughter, lots of action and lots of fun!  It's amazing how blank your mind can go as you watch the ball bearings spiral down the timer!  You end up saying the most ridiculous answers as you get flustered and put under pressure.  Random things spew out of your mouth in your haste to get your answers out in time...it seems easy until it's your turn!

I really liked this game.  It was simple yet effective and the whole family enjoyed it.  It is priced at £19.99 and can be bought from Amazon.  A great choice for entertaining the family, especially if summer turns out to be the wash out it looks like it's going to be!

Here is a little video of our first go at playing 5 Second Rule!