Pictionary Review

Pictionary is the quick sketching, crazy guessing game from Mattel.  For ages 8 and up and for 4 to 6 players, Pictionary is the perfect family game to play together. There are two levels of play with junior cards for the younger players to use so everyone can join in.

Each team moves around the playing board, landing on coloured squares.  Each square corresponds to a category on the playing cards.  Players have to attempt to draw whatever is on the card for their team mate to guess to keep control of the dice.  First time to get around the board wins.  There are three starting points so you can choose to play shorter games.

You don't have to be a great artist, in fact the worse your attempts, the funnier the game.  Being on the same wavelength as other players helps.  You have to sketch against the clock using the timer.  The categories include people and places, actions, objects, difficult words and miscellaneous.  Some words or phrases are really tricky and as the seconds tick by the tension rises...especially when your other half doesn't guess the brilliant illustration that you do for the word "Export"!!!

This game really is a lot of fun and I like the fact that 10 year old Kizzy could play alongside the grown-ups.  As long as the child is a competent reader then they can join in.  We really enjoyed our game of Pictionary and I'd definitely recommend this as a family must-have!

Chameleon Crunch Review

Mattel's Chameleon Crunch is bound to be on the wish list of many children this Christmas.  The cute, blue chameleon whizzes around the floor in a circle, stopping to open his mouth or burp out bugs.  Players have to feed him their coloured bugs and the one who has the most bugs in his mouth at the end is the winner.  We were sent one to try out.

The walking, talking, chomping lizard is ready to gobble up the colourful bugs.  The game comes with four kinds of bugs in four different colours so children can learn about colours and shape matching.  The bugs themselves are the ideal size for little hands and are detailed in their design.  Freddy didn't like feeding the butterflies to the chameleon as they were too cute to be food!

The game requires two AA batteries which are easy to insert.  He then scuttles round in a circle in search of dinner.  The bugs are placed in a circle and as the chameleon stops, players have to race to find their colour or type of bug and toss them into his mouth.  Occasionally he will burp them out, so anyone can win keeping younger players in the game.

The chameleon worked well on our laminate but I don't know if he would work as well on shag pile!  You also need a space with a 5 ft diameter turning circle or he will crash into the furniture.

The sound effects are really funny and the chameleon keeps the kids giggling as they attempt to feed him the bugs.  The educational aspect of counting, colour and shape matching is great for pre-schoolers who will be learning through play and having fun.  Thankfully, the chameleon seems quite robust and can withstand being held down and force fed his body weight in colourful bugs.

This will definitely be a big hit with young children and will result in a lot of laughter!

Matchbox Big Boots - Ready To Launch

Freddy has completed his first full week at his new nursery after a very shaky start at his previous setting.  He definitely deserves a treat for being such a good, brave and grown-up boy, so when I was sent a Matchbox Big Boots Blaze Brigade Fire Truck from Mattel to review, I couldn't think of a more perfect reward!

I am more familiar with Matchbox making die-cast cars so I was surprised to see the Big Boots Fire Truck when it arrived.  It is  a big, chunky plastic vehicle with a crew of three fireman, Capt. Lazer, Zelix and Spraymond who have huge big booted feet!  We also received a blister pack containing three extra Blaze Buster figures-Max Charge, Firebolt and Vakkor.

Freddy was instantly drawn to the truck and explored all the features enthusiastically.  He loved launching the fire crew from the top of the ladder by pressing a big button on the side of the truck.  He equally loved the detachable hose on top that fires out a blue plastic 'arrow' of water.  The front of the truck pulls down allowing two of the crew to drive.  The bumper on the back pulls out catapulting the crew stood on the sides of the truck and when it is pushed in the front falls down and catapults out the drivers.  It is chaotic action-packed fun on wheels.

The Blaze Crew are ready to launch into action whenever there is an emergency!  Freddy really loves all the  ways you can make the crew fly off of the vehicle.  He is in his element having toys flying around him and shooting the hose/gun.  Thankfully it is really robust and is built to take some heavy play!

The crew consist of funny little characters with a rubbery body and huge solid plastic feet.  The big weighted feet mean that even though they wobble they don't fall over making them perfect for all the catapulting and launching that takes place from the truck.  The bottom heavy design makes them really stable so they always land on their feet and means they stay put on the truck even as the vehicle is whizzed along.  Each fireman is differently designed and comes with accessories that can be held in their rubber hands.  As well as the fire fighters, two of the characters are an ice and a fire creature to add to the play value.  Freddy liked making them the 'baddies' to incorporate a bit of a battle into his imaginative play.  He is so gender stereotypical when it comes to playing with toys (although he steadfastedly maintains his penchant for nail varnish, dresses and hairbands!!)

Matchbox also produce other vehicles with brave big footed crews for lots of other adventures!  It is a really imaginative range of toys that will provide hours of play as kids act out fire and rescue and other emergency situations with the big footed characters.

See more at matchbox.com/bigboots

Fun Times With The Family

Mattel Fun Times Junior Scrabble Review 

With all the technology available to us in our daily lives, traditional board games can often take a back seat when it comes to entertaining the family.  Mattel is looking at ways to fit them back into the family schedule as a way of getting the family together.

Modern life is often hectic but if we put aside as little as 20 minutes, we can get together with the kids and enjoy a fun and fast paced board game.  The Mattel Fun Times range include games that are easy to play, simple to understand and quick to set up and tidy away.  The range is ideal for family fun, or is equally good for the children to enjoy together.  Either way these games fit in with today's lifestyle.

We are being sent some of the range of the Fun Times games to test out.  It is easy to dedicate a half hour to family gaming if you issue a technology ban!  No TV, DS, Mobile Phone, Twitter or Facebook addiction is allowed to interfere!!  The family can sit down together and just enjoy one of life's simple pleasures.  It is an opportunity to do something as a family, to engage with each other in a fun way, to help little ones learn how to share, take turns and join in and also instill the idea that winning is not the be all and end all of every activity!  

Junior Scrabble 

This is the first game we have had to try out together.  I am a big fan of the adult version and pride myself at being pretty deadly when armed with my letter tiles!   The Junior version is a good introduction to the joys of Scrabble for children aged 5 and up.  The double sided board game allows for two versions of the game to be played, each aimed at different levels of ability.  The 84 letter tiles store neatly into a drawstring bag.

Level 1 Words and Pictures

The colourful board includes picture prompts alongside the space for the word to be made using the letter tiles.  Some letters are printed to help children spell the words and increase their confidence when playing the game.

Players have a hand of five tiles and put down two at a time on one of the spaces on the board.  Two new tiles are drawn from the bag.   They build up words a letter at a time using the pictures to work out the words.  If you complete a word you get a counter.  Player with the most counters wins.

Level 2 Colours and Counters

Older children can make their own words, laying down their tiles in a crossword fashion like in the adult version.  However, the scoring system is greatly simplified.  A point is rewarded for each letter in the word with bonus points added, two for crossing a blue square and three for a red square.

This game is not only good for exercising spelling and word skills, it helps out with counting skills too, as youngsters add up their own scores.

Kizzy was very good at the Level 2 game and I am worried about losing my Scrabble Crown very soon!

Junior Scrabble is a great introduction to the world of Scrabble.  It appeals to children with its brightly coloured board and simplified game play that is easy to understand.  Children can play at their own level which will help build their confidence.  Junior Scrabble really does make spelling and words fun and is a game that all the family can enjoy together, as parents support their child's learning.

RRP £17.99