Tag: Board Games

The Original Mastermind Game

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer – We have received this item for free or on a loan basis for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Take Christmas retro this year with the original Mastermind game from Goliath.  I remember this from my childhood, but since then it’s been updated for the 21st Century  and includes more pegs this time (which over time you’ll realise is a must!) The rules are the same though; the codemaker creates a 4-peg code using the colours white, red, blue, green and yellow and hides them behind the shield. The second player, the codebreaker, has to guess what the sequence of colours is.  With each correct colour, a red peg denotes that it’s in the correct place. If the colour is correct but in the wrong place a white peg is used. If there are no correct colours, no pegs! There are 10 tries to get the code correct.

Endless fun, this game doesn’t need much explanation nor much skill. It works across all the age ranges and even across languages and can be used as a quiet game to help wind down after Christmas Day or Boxing Day. The colours and pegs are tiny though, so they’re best not left around small children, and the warning is that under 3 year olds shouldn’t play with it. It also recommends over 8 years old to play. However, the ease of the game means that younger children can play as long as they’re responsible with the small pieces.  I especially think children who are good at logical thinking or prefer strategic games would love this. It only needs 2 players too, making it even more accessible.  Great fun at Christmas, but the rest of the year too.

Available from £19.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/GOLIATH-GAMES-Mastermind-Original-Strategy/dp/B0DYNWM1J1/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=116794205515&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qe8rEG44iDPNwiNHBWKTakWJJaZMD4Ywu7OfQYLCfqh3do25gywe8cqJnNeudTffzTwc6853M4ZhqvAClMdI3brS6XDw-3RVIkHC85BBSF5OOpuwfQ_I3MLmDpwqcQ3PXuHvMhWF5os6cFw89EVOU2eLwQPpDqKCcv3MRW5kdqVWouszB2yIrvXI0ZmjuFHN30_QgTYQgkn68tjGMLa0hnycB6iNI9GR7cMrW6GiMqnN-zfc6Tu3KkQxypFDePyRsbgQa92b52NJz68b7pJ4-BmERZexVV-adsXeWiHwAqY.obdTuQuKhYg39kK0LpL4ZUqfulLvAtpmyMxBT1p3r0g&dib_tag=se&gad_source=1&hvadid=606015528652&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9045873&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=806721731880523576–&hvqmt=e&hvrand=806721731880523576&hvtargid=kwd-358441249379&hydadcr=24405_2302427&keywords=mastermind%2Bthe%2Bgame&mcid=64481edc745b3c8892d1870abc1131eb&qid=1760871099&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Dobble Giant and Piles Board Games

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The summer holidays are fast approaching, and like many parents, I’ve already started thinking about how to keep the children entertained whilst they’re off school. Asmodee kindly sent us a couple of great games – Dobble Giant and PILES! – and I can already tell that both games are going to be a firm favourites this summer.

We’re big fans of the original Dobble, and the giant version brings a whole new level of fun to the game. Each oversized card features five symbols, and there’s always one (and only one!) matching symbol on any two cards. The aim is simple – spot the pair faster than anyone else!

The big difference with this version of Dobble is that it’s designed for outdoor play, with oversized cards placed on the ground for players to run between as they spot the matching symbols. So not only are they using their brains, they’re burning off plenty of energy too! It’s a brilliant way to make the most of sunny days, but if the weather turns, it works just as well indoors.

With four different games to play with the cards, it should keep them busy for a good while!

Relay Race
4–12 players (with a 2-player variant), this fast-paced game involves two rows of 10 cards laid on the ground. Players race down the row by naming the matching symbol between each card they step on. At the end, they high five a teammate who races back—the first team to finish wins!

The Cat
3–8 players. Played with a 4×5 grid of cards face up on the ground. One player is the Cat and starts on a corner; others choose their own starting card. Everyone moves simultaneously by finding a matching symbol on an adjacent card -avoid the Cat or you’re out, and the last player remaining wins.

The Circle
2–10 players. Place all 20 cards in a circle on the ground and space players out evenly. Everyone races clockwise, finding and calling out matching symbols on the next card before moving. If one player catches another, the slower one is out – last player left wins.

Face-Off
5–11 players. One player acts as referee while the rest split into two equal teams and assign secret numbers starting from 1. The referee flips two cards and calls a number, those players race to find the matching symbol. Whoever finds it first wins both cards for their team, and the team with the most at the end wins.

Each game takes just 10–15 minutes and we have found them to be just as much fun for children and adults. There’s also no need to simplify the game for younger children, in fact ours were often quicker than the grown-ups! The cards are colourful, durable, and a decent size although I wouldn’t recommend using them on wet grass if you want them to last. Whether you’re planning a family picnic, garden playdate, or just want to get the children outdoors for some fresh air, Dobble Giant is a great way to keep the children entertained this summer.

Age 6+

RRP £23.99

If your family loves fast, frantic games, then Piles! is one to pop straight on your summer games list. It’s a high-speed, all-play-at-once card game so there’s no waiting around for turns. Just be warned: when older children and competitive adults get stuck in, things can get very chaotic!

The aim of the game is to be the first to collect six matching piles of clothing. Sounds simple? Well, some of the items are cleverly designed to look similar and catch you out—so you need to stay sharp! Everyone sits in a circle with six piles of four cards laid out in front of them, and four cards face down in the centre. You’re only allowed to use one pile at a time, swapping one card at a time, and the piles you’re not holding must stay face down until it’s complete. It’s quick, clever, and incredibly frantic as everyone races to build their matching sets at once.

Games take about 10 minutes, so it’s perfect for quick bursts of fun or back-to-back rounds. Since launching last October, Piles! has already sold over 50,000 copies and it’s easy to see why. It’s gone viral online, and once you’ve played a round or two, you’ll be hooked.

Whether you’re indoors on a rainy afternoon or outdoors in the sunshine, Piles! guarantees plenty of fun but don’tt expect a quiet game because it will gets loud and chaotic and that’s exactly what makes it so much fun to play!

Age 8+

RRP £19.99

Orchard Toys Games

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Games, Gifts for children, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Orchard Toys games are everything you want in a child’s gift, fun to play, built to last, and sneakily educational. The bright, colourful pieces are perfectly sized for little hands to grip, and they’re tough enough to handle everything from toddler tantrums to the occasional teething nibble! The thing I love most about Orchard Toys games is that they’re all really good fun to play (even for adults) and the games subtly build key skills without the children realising. Counting, memory skills, problem-solving, they’re all there, along with plenty of laughter and excitement too.  

Jigsaws are a fantastic way to help little ones develop hand-eye coordination and the Peter Rabbit themed game, Don’t Wake Mr McGregor, gets started with a fun twist – you build the board using 6 chunky jigsaw pieces. Once the board is ready the excitement begins!

Players choose their favourite Beatrix Potter bunny, Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Flopsy or Cotton Tail and then roll the dice to move along the garden path. The fun starts when someone lands on a watering can, sending their bunny tumbling in and sneezing a loud “Atishoo!” This makes Mr. McGregor either growl or snore as he turns around. If you reach the end of the path when Mr McGregor is asleep you get to spin the spinner and collect fruit and vegetables for your basket. But if he’s awake your bunny gets frightened away and it’s back to the start of the path. Once all the fruit and vegetables have been collected, turn them over to see how many of them are good and discount the bad ones. The winner is the player with the most good fruit and vegetables.

There’s plenty of new skills to learn with this game and I guarantee there will be lots of giggles once the sneezing starts.

RRP £12

Doggy Doggy Woof Woof is as wild and hilarious as it sounds – a brilliant matching and memory game that is bursting with energy. With double sided kennel pieces you get two games for the price of one which is always a bonus. In game one players race to match three doggy heads to bodies and every time they make a match they shout “Waggy Waggy Woof Woof. ”If that wasn’t chaotic enough there’s a special waggy tail card and the player that finds it needs to stand up, wag their imaginary tail and shout Waggy Waggy Woof Woof much to the delight of everyone. It’s silly, it’s loud and it’s guaranteed to have everyone in stitches while quietly improving their memory and observation skills. Once you’re fed up of tail wagging they can calm down with the second game where players need to collect as many matching dogs as possible. With 13 different dogs to collect observation and memory skills are put to the test. Whether it’s riotous laughter or a quieter challenge, this game is all about learning through play, and it’s endlessly entertaining for both kids and the grown-ups roped into the fun.

RRP £9.75

Now, imagine this for tonight’s elf antic: your cheeky little elves have set themselves up for a game of Elf Lotto, cards scattered and boards half-filled, like they’ve been at it all night. Children will love waking up to see their mischievous mates mid-game, and here’s the best part – no mess for you to clean up after!

This festive take on lotto is beautifully illustrated with Christmas themed items, there’s candy canes, Christmas trees and snowmen. The aim of the game is to be the first to fill your board and like all Orchard Toys games the children are learning while they’re playing  – memory skills, taking turns, the lot – but they’re so wrapped up in the fun of it, they don’t even notice.

The bright, chunky pieces mean even the littlest hands can join in, and it’s cheerful enough to keep them busy while you enjoy a quiet mince pie. It’s perfect for family time during the holidays, or in this case, an effortless, mess-free elf setup that makes you look like a festive genius.

RRP £6

Orchard Toys Games

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

We absolutely love Orchard Toys jigsaws and games, the bright, chunky pieces and easy-to-play games are not just entertaining but educational too. They have been making games for over 50 years, earning a well-deserved reputation for quality and durability and their products are designed to withstand the wear and tear of little hands while also encouraging learning.

With this summer’s unpredictable weather, we’ve found ourselves playing a lot of board games, so I was really pleased to receive a selection of their games, especially as the children (and me!!) were becoming a little tired of playing the same games over and over again.

Dotty Dinosaurs (RRP £12) is a fun dinosaur themed game which promotes colour and shape recognition along with fine motor skills. The game features double-sided dinosaur boards – on one side, players match shapes, and on the other, they match coloured spots. With three different ways to play, children roll either the shape or coloured dice (or both in game three) and race to cover their dinosaur board with the correct pieces. The beautifully illustrated dinosaurs also encourage children to learn about different species, we talked about where they live, and what they eat and how scary they were!

Buzz Words (RRP £9.75) is ideal for children aged 5 and up. This fast-paced game helps with spelling and letter recognition in a fun, low-pressure environment. With four different games to play—Race to Spell, Grab the Word, Pick a Pair, and Make a Match, children are continuously learning valuable skills while having fun. Our favourite was Race to Spell, where players race against the clock to spell the word on their picture. The game offers three, four, and five-letter words, allowing you to tailor the difficulty to your child’s ability. Even young children who can’t yet spell aren’t at a disadvantage as they can simply match the letters to the pictures. Our little reviewer particularly enjoyed this game, happily matching letters and even practicing spelling on their own. The letters can also be used to spell out new words or to help children learn to spell their own names, which our reviewers loved as well.

Jigsaws are another fantastic way to develop hand-eye coordination. The Giant Alphabet Extra Long Jigsaw Puzzle (RRP £11.25) not only aids in learning the alphabet but also features large, chunky pieces for each letter. The puzzle includes cut-out letters to match with the jigsaw, making it an ideal tool for helping children recognize letters and develop a love for puzzles. Each letter features several illustrations beginning with that letter, and the accompanying learning guide is packed with discussion points to encourage learning. While completing the puzzle, the children talked about the different animals, where they live, and what they like to eat and it was quite interesting hearing some of the things that they thought dinosaurs ate and where the rocket was heading to next!

One of the greatest benefits of board games is the quality family time they create. We’re in an age when screens often dominate our lives and board games offer a tech-free experience for the whole family. For preschoolers and children in early primary years, play is one of the most effective learning tool and board games are especially valuable as they can teach a range of essential skills. Games that involve counting, colours, shapes, letters and numbers can help reinforce what children are learning or about to learn in school and are a fun way to learn these essential skills. Orchard Toys offer such a wide variety of games that there’s bound to be something to suit every child’s interest. From animal-themed games to word and number puzzles, we’ve never been disappointed by any of their games.

Ticket to Ride Legacy : Legends of the West

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

You can’t beat a good board game to keep the family entertained at Christmas – if you haven’t played the popular Ticket to Ride game yet then it’s definitely one to get this Christmas. The original game was published in 2004 and played on a board depicting a railway map of the United States and southern Canada but the game proved so popular there are now many different versions featuring different countries and areas. The newest launch by Days of Wonder is Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West which takes players back to 19th century North America – the time when cities were growing at a fantastic rate and a boom time for the railways.

In this version of the game players are 19th century pioneers and embark on twelve journeys across North America. Beginning on the East Coast, players work their way across to the West, meeting challenges along the way. Like the original Ticket to Ride game you need to complete your tickets but managing your own North American railway company comes with many challenges and you’ll need to think strategically to beat your opponents. As the game progresses you open frontier boxes that unlock new rules, content and many more surprises. Ordinarily I would tell you more about the game but as this is a legacy game I really can’t reveal anymore as it would spoil the game, but what I can say is you won’t be disappointed!

What I can say is the game is fairly easy to play – when you read the rules for the first time it does sound complicated but don’t let this put you off as once you start playing it does start to make sense and you’ll find you’ll quickly get the hang of the game. My family love a good strategy game so Ticket to Ride Legends of the West is a great choice for us as the game requires planning, thinking ahead and strategic blocking and it’s certainly brought out the competitive streak in my family! We’re part way through the game and we’re enjoying playing it together each evening, it’s also been a great way to get everyone together and off the electronic gadgets!!

With an RRP of £99.99 it’s not a cheap game but it will give you hours of entertainment and if you shop around you may be able to find an offer.

Suitable for ages 10+

2-5 players

Available from Amazon and all good retailers

The LOGO Board Game – 2nd edition

Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, secret santa, Stocking Fillers

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

My family love playing board games and Santa always leaves a new one under the tree for us to play once we’ve eaten Christmas lunch. We’ve always enjoyed playing LOGO so I was really pleased to find out there is a 2nd edition of the popular board game from Drumond Park. The new version from is just like the original but comes with a set of 396 new question cards. The game is for 2-6 players and can also be played in teams, making it a great game to play at Christmas with all the family.  

The game is simple to set up, each player or team chooses a coloured cone and places it on the Go! space on the board. When playing for the first time it is important to shuffle the cards and once you have placed them in the box you are ready to go.  There are three types of question cards, each with four questions; Picture Cards that have pictures relating to questions on the cards, Theme Cards that have questions relating to a common theme and Pot Luck which have random/ general knowledge questions. Players move around the board by answering questions that are the same colour as the place you are on the board. A correct answer allows you to move to the next space of the same colour and you continue answering the questions on the card until you either get one wrong or have answered them all.

Players take it in turns to be the question master which helps keep everyone involved and the winner is the first player/team to reach the winning zone where you need to answer two questions correctly or a get a red question correct.

There are a good variety of questions and as it is all logos and brands it puts everyone on a pretty equal footing. It’s a great game for families to play together and will keep everyone entertained over the Christmas period.

RRP: £32.99

Suitable for ages: 12yrs+

Stockists include: Independent toy shops and Smyths, Amazon, Argos

Articulate

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, secret santa, Stocking Fillers, Winter

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Christmas is a time when families and friends get together and as the festive season approaches it’s the perfect time to invest in a couple of new board games to play with your nearest and dearest.

Articulate the “fast talking description game” from Drumond Park is a great game to play as whilst it can be played with 4 people it is much more fun played in teams. It’s really easy to get the hang of too so is perfect when playing with family members with a mix of ages.

The circular board unfolds to reveal coloured sections named with the following categories – people, world, objects, actions, nature and random. Players are split into teams and it depends on the number of players as to how many describers and guessers there are. The game begins by placing the counters on the start segment and the first team then have 30 seconds to describe the object listed on the card to the rest of their team, if they shout a correct answer, they keep picking cards and describing words from the same category until the timer runs out. Once their turn is over they move their counter forward by the number of correct words.

Sounds straightforward – it is but once you get started there are a few extra twists to add more excitement to the game. If you land on a white CONTROL segment play does not pass to the next team, instead the same team pick the next card and the describer/s describe the item marked with the spade icon to all the players, there is no time limit for this and play passes to the team who shouts out the correct answer first. The other curveball in the game is the orange and red segments which extend into the centre of the board. When a counter lands on one of these the team spins the spinner to try and win bonus places or the opportunity to move an opponent back a few places.

It’s a very fast paced game and as you are racing against the clock you’ll find your voice getting louder and using your hands to try and describe the words on the cards, much to the delight of the rest of the players. Some of the categories are much harder to describe than others so if you are playing with children younger than the 12+ recommended age you may need to look at a few cards to pick one they can describe easily. With 500 cards, each with a word for all six categories you’ll be able to play it every day over the festive period without using the same words!

This is a fantastic game and will be a great addition to any Christmas festivities this year.

RRP: £32.99 but currently £17.99 at Amazon

Suitable for ages: 12yrs+

Stockists include: Independent toy shops, Amazon, Smyths, Argos, ASDA, WH Smiths, Hamleys, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and The Works Stores

Host Your Own Family Quiz Night

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Home, Learning, Toys

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Christmas is the time of year when we not only give and receive board games, but old games are brought out, new plays are established and memories are made in families.  The cold days where children can’t play outside as much and dark weekend evenings when Nan and Grandad come round for dinner also help foster the fun at family time.  Along with all the old favourites, Cheatwell have the Host Your Own Family Quiz Night board game – a variation on the typical ‘pub quiz’ type games but in the form of a board game.

For ages 8+ years and at least 2 players, the question cards are divided so that there is one multiple choice question for younger children and one challenging question for older adults and children to answer. The questions aren’t related either, so the topics are also aimed at the different audiences. The topic include People, Science and Nature, History, Movies, TV, Geography and Pot Luck.  Each player rolls the die to move along the board and lands on a square with a question topic. The aim is to get to the end of the board and answer as many questions as possible first to be the winner.

The game takes longer with fewer people taking part but you find that there are a lot of discussions with younger children when it comes to answering their questions. Some of the questions, especially about TV are Britain-centred so if there is anyone in your family who didn’t grow up here or isn’t familiar with some aspects of British life, then they are going to be at a disadvantage. Maybe that’s a good thing in some families!  It is great fun though and I thought the questions were really well pitched for children and adults alike.

Available for £18.49 at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cheatwell-Games-Family-Quiz-Night/dp/B08TXWBRBT

Host Your Own Race Night Board Game

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Father's Day, Games, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Toys

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

I had heard of Host Your Own Race Night from friends who have played it before and explained what a fun idea it was and how it worked, so when I was given the opportunity to test it, it seemed like the perfect Saturday night in with the family!

Host Your Own Race Night is a board game based on betting on horse races. Instead of having to go to a race meeting, the game is hosted at home with the use of 2 DVDs of 32 races. As a team, you choose which race you want to play, then you are given a Race Form Guide to study the form of each horse and then you place your bets using the race cards provided. At the end of the race, check the results and the winner collects their winnings in the form of (albeit fake!) ‘cash’! At the end of the game, the person with the highest amount of cash wins!

The races are hosted on a dry-wipe board and the pen is included so you can use the board and the race cards over and over. I would have a rag or something similar handy so that you can clean the board between races easily.  You might not have a DVD player any longer so hunt one down before you invite others to come over and play, but some laptops with CD/DVD drives can still play them.

The game instructions are easy to understand and it’s a game for the whole family from teenagers up to grandparents.  Kids will love the fake money too! The game is set for more than 2 players and I would say that this is great for about 6 players ideally.  It is a betting game though, and you probably shouldn’t encourage smaller children to play so the starting age of 14+ years makes sense. You can play just a couple of races or all the 32 races and make a night of it, plus the races are reasonably short so you can stop and start the game for interruptions. This would be a good game for New Year’s Eve for instance, where you might not want to watch TV but you do want to switch it on and off for different celebrations etc. 

It’s great fun, and some family members get really involved in it whilst others are more passive and play for the game rather than the amount of winnings. It’s how much you bet on each horse in each game that makes the game different each time. You don’t need to be a horse racing expert to know how to play or be able to enjoy it, but horse race followers will love it!

Available on Amazon for £20.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cheatwell-Games-23250-Host-Night-2/dp/B07F88XD7Y

Catch Phrase Card Game

Birthday Gifts, camping, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this game free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

We love going away in our caravan, it’s a great way to relax and it also gives us the perfect opportunity to get the children away from electronic devices for a few hours each evening when we get out a board game to play. Space is tight in the caravan so travel games like the Catch Phrase card game from Ginger Fox are great as they don’t take up much room.

Based on the popular TV show the game is very easy to play and doesn’t need a large table so it’s great to play in the caravan. You place the buzzer card and the blue edged Catch Phrase cards in the middle of the table and the oldest player turns the top card over. Once you think you know the Catch Phrase you put your hand on the buzzer card and shout out the answer. You can then turn the card over to check the answer – if you are correct you score 100 points but an incorrect answer means you are frozen out for that round. If no one guesses the Catch Phrase another card is turned over. After 6 cards have been played the Bonus Catch Phrase round (silver edged cards) is played and the player with the least points hosts the round. This round is played in the same way, but a correct answer now wins you 200 points and the opportunity to guess the bonus Catch Phrase. If you have internet access this is done by scanning the QR code on the card and tapping the screen to remove a random square to reveal a section of the picture. If they are correct, they win 500 points but an incorrect answer means you go back to the main Catch Phrase cards.

If you don’t have internet access then a Bonus Catch Phrase card is placed in the cardboard sleeve with the cover card on the top. The cover card is moved to the next line on the cardboard sleeve, revealing a small section of the card.

The winner is the player with the most points.

Being a rather competitive family the buzzer card tended to be hit rather than having hand placed  gently on it but this added to the fun and it’s a good job we have a sturdy table in the caravan!

We all enjoyed playing Catch Phrase, it’s a fast paced game and great fun for all ages and kept us entertained all evening. At £12.99 it is the perfect stocking filler and will be great fun to play on Christmas day with the family.

Available from Amazon here

Taco Vs Burrito The Card Game

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Home, Learning, secret santa, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

If you’re looking for a different card game to play this Christmas or to give as a gift, Taco vs Burrito ticks all those boxes. A game for 2-4 players, it can be played by any age (although it’s recommended from age 7 years upwards), this strategy game is for all the family. It only takes a few minutes to learn how to play and each round is only about 15 minutes long.

Invented by 7 year old Alex, the game has causes a storm with its whacky but fun cards. The game has won numerous awards including Best Family Fun Tilillywig Award, Winner of Hot Diggity Award 2021, and winner of National Parenting Product Award 2021. There’s been over 500,000 units sold worldwide already and 17,500+ 5-star awards from users. All from the imagination of a small boy whose parents started a Kickstarter appeal for funding for him, to make his dreams come true.

How to play: each player is given either a Taco or a Burrito (hence the name) as a basis of the game. Using the 5 cards dealt to you, each player either adds a weird ingredient card from their hand (such as fresh brains or chocolate covered shrimp) or an action card. The aim of the game is to build up a disgusting meal with ingredients cards that have different point values, then use the action cards to either increase the points value of your meal, or smash the value of your opponent’s meal. There’s also the Hot Sauce Card which doubles the value or your meal or that of other players when you play it against them.

As the game progresses, there’s other action cards such as the Tummy Ache card, No Bueno card (to stop the action of another player at any time), or the Health Inspector. If you get the Health Inspector card, you have to play it immediately in the game, sending all the ingredients cards in your meal to the discarded pile on the table, never to be used again. That is unless, you have the Trash Panda card, which allows you to take any of the cards from the discarded pile and add it back to your hand.

The different variation of action cards to use against the ingredients cards are what make the game fun for everyone. The cards are colourful and easy to read and for little ones, it helps develop their reading skills as well as taking turns in play.  The different type of action cards take a little while to get used to so I would have an adult sit and play until they all get hang of the game rules.  It’s great fun though, and everyone understood how to play with each consecutive game, so this is perfect for Christmas time board games!

Available on Amazon from £24.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Taco-Burrito-Popular-Surprisingly-Strategic/dp/B07JZTBV9C/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2CBW8R4GRTDFZ&keywords=taco+vs+burrito+card+game&qid=1694957554&sprefix=taco+vs%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-5

Brainbox Animals

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Learning, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Younger children tend to have a short attention span so finding games that are simple enough for them to join in, don’t take forever to play and are interesting enough for older children to join in with can be tricky. BrainBox games tick all these boxes and with a huge selection of themes you can pick a version to suit your family’s interests. The games are all memory and observation card games which not only test your eye for detail but are full of interesting facts too and every time I play, I discover a new fact so it’s great for your general knowledge too!

The game is easy to play, there are 54 cards, a 10 second sand timer and a dice and the players take in in turns to draw a card and study it for 10 seconds. Once the timer runs out you roll the dice and the card is passed to the next player who asks the corresponding numbered question from the back of the card. If you get it right, you keep the card but if you get it wrong it goes back into the BrainBox. After ten minutes (or however long you want to play for) the player who has the most cards wins.

As well as memory skills the Brainbox Animals game also helps with observation as there are questions about which way the animals are facing or how many animals there are. It also helps children with their reading, our 8 year old mini reviewer hates sitting down with a book but will happily read the questions on the cards all night discovering interesting information about the animals like where they live, what they eat, how big they are and how long they live.

This is a great game to play with children and with so many themes it is easy to choose a topic that they are interested in. My children have already asked for Dinosaurs, Harry Potter and Nature and I quite fancy the World History and Around the World UK versions. Playing for ten minutes every night will really broaden their knowledge and get those facts stored in their brains in a fun way.

RRP £13

Age group 8+

Bananagrams

camping, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Learning, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Now the children are back at school we are trying to limit the amount of time they spend glued to screens so we have started playing a boardgame after tea. This week we have been playing Bananagrams which is perfect for helping children with words and spellings. It’s like Scrabble in that you create crosswords using the lettered tiles, but it is much easier for younger children to play as there’s no board restricting the words you can make and no scores to keep track of either.

To begin you place the 144 lettered tiles (the bunch) face down in the middle of the table and each player takes a certain number of tiles (dependant on the number of players).  Once everyone has their tiles one player shouts “SPLIT” and everyone can turn over their tiles and begin making their crosswords. Once started you can rearrange your tiles at any time to try and use all the tiles.

As soon as you have played your last tile, you shout ‘peel’ which means everyone picks up a new tile from the bunch. It can be tricky to fit all your tiles in a crossword so when you get stuck you have the option of shouting ‘DUMP’ and exchanging one of your tiles for three new ones. This can be really helpful at the beginning of the game but as the game progresses you tend to find that you keep getting the harder letters like Q and Z which everyone is desperately trying to get rid of!

Play continues until there are less tiles in the bunch than the number of players and then the first player to use all their tiles shouts “BANANAS.” The words are then checked by the other players, if they are correct that player wins but any misspelled words, abbreviations or proper nouns means the player is disqualified and the other players shout “ROTTEN BANANA” and return all the tiles to the bunch and play continues.

This is a great game and we have had lots of fun playing it, it’s a lot faster than Scrabble and great for helping children with their spelling without them realising!

The game comes in a small banana-shaped zipped bag which is the perfect size to pop in a bag for holidays or sleepovers at grandparents and it also fits nicely in a stocking so would make a great Christmas gift too.

RRP £15.99

Age group 7+

I Want My MTV Game

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Family Life, Father's Day, Games, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Mother's Day, secret santa, Stocking Fillers, Winter

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Bank Holidays are a great opportunity to get together with friends and this weekend we have been reliving our youth and reminiscing about music of the time with the I Want My MTV card game from Ginger Fox Games.

The game covers music from the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s and is great fun to play, especially in teams.  There are a good mix of questions with categories including In What Year?, MTV 80’s Party Anthems Compete the Title and the questions are a mix of trivia and music videos.

The aim of the game is to answer the music based questions to win pieces of a MTV jigsaw. There are two categories of question on each card and the player can choose which category they prefer. There are 4 questions on each card and if they answer them all correctly they choose one of 4 jigsaw pieces that make up the MTV logo. The winner is the team who completes the logo first.

If they pass or give an incorrect answer the other players can try and take control of the card by shouting “I WANT MY MTV”. It’s one of those games that is best played in teams and there’s a slight twist in the game to make it more fun.  

There are questions for everyone in the box so whether your era is the 80’s, 90’s or 00’s and you love rock, pop or boybands there’s plenty of questions to challenge everyone. So, if you can remember who sang that iconic anthem in the 80’s? What was the name of the first album released by the popular 90’s band xxx? Or which music video featured a custard pie battle? then you’re well on your way to collecting your puzzle piece!

Currently £4.48 from Amazon

Dobble Scouts

Birthday Gifts, camping, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Learning, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Dobble by Asmodee is one of our favourite travel games and travels everywhere with us. The handy tin is small enough to fit in my bag and has entertained our mini reviewers in many different locations over the years including trains, restaurants, hotel rooms, and campsites. When I heard that Dobble had launched a Scouts version I was quite excited as my whole family are involved in Scouting, so this version has a special significance for us.

Available directly from the Scout Store (where all profits are returned to the Scouts) this new version uses symbols associated with Scouting – you’ll find hiking boots, canoes, rucksacks, tents and many more outdoor adventure symbols on the game cards in Dobble Scouts.

With 5 different games to play this game will keep everyone entertained, both young as old as the good thing about this game is everyone is on a level. There’s always a matching symbol on any two cards but with 8 symbols on a card in different sizes and orientation it is more challenging than you would think and sometimes you will find yourself staring at your card for ages and still not see it!

A game doesn’t take long to play, around 5-10 minutes, but it is such good fun that you’ll find that everyone wants to play it over and over again. It’s a great game for 2 but equally as fun in a larger group.

In the words of the Scout motto  – “Be Prepared” and put this in the pocket of your rucksack when you go off on an adventure – it’s great to play with friends old and new around a campfire in the evening once you’ve finished adventuring!

As well as the game the new Dobble Scouts collection will also include hoodies, badges and keyrings in the famous Scout colours and will make great gifts for Scouts young and oldCubs,

Ages 6+ | 2-8 Players | RRP £14.99

Best of the Royals

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, coronation, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Learning, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

Whilst the Coronation is still fresh in our minds it’s the perfect time to introduce a new game from Drumond Park. Best of The Royals is part of the popular LOGO brand and the theme of this version of the game is the Royal family, who are probably the most well-known family in the world.  

With 200+ Royal-themed questions it is not only a fun and entertaining game for all the family it is also a history lesson too!

Played with 2 teams (age 12+) rather than a traditional playing board, the players race to complete a royal themed jigsaw puzzle. Setting up the game is very simple, all you do is take the cards and jigsaw pieces out of the box, place the cards in the middle of the table and give each team their 22 jigsaw pieces.

Game play is nice and easy, the team with the youngest player starts first and the oldest player from the other team becomes Question Master. He takes the top card and asks the question or shows the picture to the other team (whilst hiding the answers from his own team as they might be able to win a bonus jigsaw piece if the other team answer incorrectly). If the team get the answer right, they select a corner piece and place it on the table, if they are wrong the other team have the opportunity to answer and win an extra piece. Play continues with the same team answering the remaining three questions on the card before play is passed to the other team. One jigsaw piece is awarded for every correct answer and the winner is the first team to finish the jigsaw with the large centre piece.

This is a great game to play at family parties, the questions are varied with the classic LOGO picture, theme and pot luck question cards. The questions cover the present day and life during the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II and we learnt quite a lot when playing. I do wonder how many times we can play it without remembering the answers but with 200+ cards and different players I don’t think it will be too much of a problem just yet.

RRP £20 and available from The Entertainer, Selfridges, The Range, or Amazon