Am I Napoleon is a board game where your team must guess famous names, movies, animals and many other things that are displayed on the Guesmo - Eletronic Word Generator that one team member must wear on their head. The team tries to guess as many words as possible before the time is up. The first team to reach the finish wins.
MANUFACTURER
Imagination Entertainment Ltd
AGE RANGE
8+ years
RRP
£19.99
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS
EASE OF USE
The game is generally easy to use and the instuctions are simple to follow. Only difficulty can be keeping track of the score while also giving clues to your teammate to guess the word.
DURABILITY
It is a game that kids may enjoy playing for a while as it is different and fun.
VISUAL APPEAL
Visually the box is basic, but once kids see the Guesmo, they cannot wait to put it on their heads.
FUNCTIONALITY
The game does what is designed to do and parents and kids can both enjoy playing as some of the words are also geared for adults. The game cannot be played with just 2 people. Minumum of 4 people are needed.
COST EFFICIENCY
The game is a bit more expensive than I would have thought it should be.
ORIGINALITY
The game is different to other board games because of the Guesmo, but there are serveral other trivia games available.
OVERALL RATING
Am I Napoleon is overall a fun game and it gets you thinking and laughing while you are under pressure to figure out a word or while trying to give clues to your teammate. Difficulty is that it cannot be played with just 2 people, so it may be difficult to always find enough people to play.
A board game based around trivia questions. Test your knowledge of the opposite generation with a series of funny questions as you make your way across the board. Parents are asked questions most kids can answer and the kids are asked questions most parents can answer, but watch out for those wild cards that could send you reeling back or skipping ahead to the finish. The first player or team to cross the board with all of their tokens wins the game and the battle.
MANUFACTURER:Imagination Entertainments Ltd
AGE RANGE: 8+ years
RRP:£14.99
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS
EASE OF USE
Really quick to read the instructions and set it all up. It’s not a complicated game to play.
DURABILITY
What you would expect from a board game. There aren’t many pieces to lose which is good. It’s basically a board, some counters and some cards. If you play it a lot you will probably get through the questions quickly and I couldn’t find any booster packs when I looked.
VISUAL APPEAL
Pretty basic board game style.
FUNCTIONALITY
Works very well as a game that parents and kids can both play and enjoy. For us, the questions are pitched really well so that neither the parents or the kids were winning all the time. It’s refreshing to find a quiz-based game that we can all happily play together. It’s also good that you can play just as well with 2 of you or you can play as teams if there are more of you.
VALUE FOR MONEY
Quite expensive if you buy at the RRP, but websites such as Tesco Direct and Amazon have discounted the game.
ORIGINALITY
The 'beating the parents' aspect seems an original concept to me and I am pleased to find a way to expand my 8 year olds general knowledge in a fun and competitive way, rather than sitting her down to read an encyclopedia! However, there are quite a few other trivia games available.
OVERALL RATING
It was a great game for us but I’m not sure how well it would work with a bigger range of kids ages. Our 8 year old was challenged by a lot of the questions, but I’m not sure if a 15 year old would find them too easy? It did build the confidence of our daughter because she was beating us so often!!
A play set with a story book and magnetic board, together with magnet characters, which can be used to create pictures and tell out various stories. We have reviewed two of the play sets 'Milo and Mimi go the the Park' and 'Milo and Mimi go to Planet Miso', both of which centre around a boy called Milo and a girl called Mimi. The main reviewer was a 2.5 year old girl. Two older girls, 5 and 6 years old also played wth it.
MANUFACTURER: Chimen Magnets
AGE RANGE: 2-6 years
RRP: £19.99 per playset
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS
EASE OF USE
In practical terms, very easy. The board is roughly A3 size and folds out into one big picture scene. The magnets are easily stored on the board and it is clear to the child what they can do with them. We thought that it might benefit from some ideas on the back cover as to how the play set can be used so as to derive maximum benefit from it. For example, the story in the book does not use all the magnetic figures. My daughter was trying to create a scene to match the story but queried what some of them were for. Other than a picture at the end of the book which contains all the figures, it was not immediately obvious. Either suggestions of how the play set could be used (not including the book) or more stories which involve all the magnetic figures would be a worthwhile addition.
DURABILITY
The magnets are really well made and durable. The board is made of strong laminated cardboard which also looks like it will last. There is the possibility that we might lose the book as there is nowhere within the board for it to easily be stored (unlike the magnets which can easily be kept within the board).
VISUAL APPEAL
It does look good - has lots of bright colours which attracted my 2.5 year old daughter and the characters are easily identifiable as people/ animals/ objects.
FUNCTIONALITY
My daughter has really quickly grasped how it works and loves playing with it. On the Chimen website an age range of 2-6 years is given. Interestingly the 5 and 6 year old testers were very keen to get playing and set up the scene like it is in the book, but then declared they had finished with it. We would therefore conclude that it is a toy most suited to pre-schoolers.
COST EFFICIENCY
I felt that £19.99 per playset was quite steep and although I am sure we'll get a lot of use out of the playsets I'm not sure if I would have actually paid that much for them in the first place. Maybe £19.99 for the two would have seemed more manageable. Unfortunately the price will mean that I am unlikely to buy them as presents for friends. Having said that, they are so well made that I can understand why they may have to be pitched at this price.
ORIGINALITY
The most similar thing I am aware of is Fuzzy Felt but this develops that concept in an original way by including the story books, introducing the new characters and using the magnets. Slightly older children could probably play with it on a long car journey.
OVERALL RATING
I feel it is worth 4 stars overall as my daughter really does love playing with it. She wants to play with it at least every day, sometimes more than once. She knows who Mimi and Milo are and loves the little characters, working out whether they go in the sky or on the ground. As mentioned in the 'Ease of Use' section, I do feel that there are some ways in which the play sets could be adjusted but more so that we could ensure we've maximised opportunities for playing with them, rather than as any criticism of the product as it currently is. If they didn't cost so much I think they would make ideal presents for 2 or 3 year olds.
The Orchard Toys World Map Puzzle is a colourful map jigsaw puzzle showing continents and countries, local inhabitants and landmarks. It consists of 150 pieces and measures 88cm by 61 cm. It includes a giant poster with the jigsaw puzzle. Myself and my 8 year old daughter reviewed the puzzle.
MANUFACTURER: Orchard Toys
AGE RANGE: 5-10 years
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS
EASE OF USE
Really easy - just take it out of the box and off you go. The poster really helps to guide the child when they get stuck.
DURABILITY
The pieces are made of strong, recycled card and are well constructed. It will last for many years, like most jigsaws, providing it is looked after properly. The poster is more likely to get torn or lost, but if you look after the puzzle carefully it will be fine.
VISUAL APPEAL
It looks great. The puzzle is quite large when done, so you will need a large-ish floor space, especially if you've got the poster laid out by the side. The picture was in proportion and was colourful and bright. Each continent is a different colour, which helps with easy identification when putting the puzzle together.
FUNCTIONALITY
Yes, it helps to teach a child about physical geography and where things are in the world. The child can explore the countries and continents of the world whilst discovering the local inhabitants and landmarks. There is extra detail on the puzzle about local inhabitants, landmarks and animals that live in other countries.
COST EFFICIENCY
The RRP is £13.50 but you can find the puzzle discounted to around £10ish at the time of writing. I think that this is excellent value for money because a jigsaw is something that you will do time and time again.
ORIGINALITY
There are quite a few jigsaw maps on the market but this has to be one of the best because it is well thought out and well constructed. What sets this one apart is the poster which was a big hit with the children.
OVERALL RATING
If you are looking a puzzle with an educational element, this is a great one to choose. It is inexpensive and fun for all the family - even the adults can learn something and my 2 year old could join in by finding the piece with a certain animal on it! It's a great talking point and I found myself chatting with my daughter about the places I had visited around the world.
To read more about the World Map Puzzle on the Orchard Toys websiteclick here.
Maisie the Animal Minder is a series of picture books and a website about a little girl and her mum who travel around the country in a red camper van called Cherry, looking after animals and houses whilst the owners are away. The books are based on the author's real-life experiences and some contain educational information on geography (there is a map in the front of every book) and information on breeds and types of animals. The website supports the books and includes downloadable colouring sheets amongst other things.
My six-year-old and I reviewed 'Cassie and the Ducks' and 'Fergus and the Deer'. These two stories have been published to date and there are many others in the pipeline.
PUBLISHER: Spiderwize
AGE RANGE: 2-7 years
COST:£6.99
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS
EASE OF USE
The book was easy to read and it was a good length for my daughter (not too long, not too short). My three-year-old joined in to look at the pictures as there is lots for little ones to spot in the illustrations: for example, spot the cats that appear on most pages. The website was also easy to use and you can order the books from it.
DURABILITY
These books seem timeless to me. The stories are wholesome and funny; they belong to a simple, innocent world and are delightful for children to read or listen to. I can imagine passing these onto my grandchildren if they aren't too dog-eared by that stage!
VISUAL APPEAL
Good size and really beautifully illustrated. The drawings are colourful, describe the story well and are really funny. The books are perfect size, not too big or small. They would fit well in a neat set, although the title wasn't on the spine on our copies, so they could be hard to locate when stacked up in a bookshelf.
COST EFFICIENCY
The books retail at £6.99. A percentage of the profit goes to an animal-related charity; a different charity for each book. The books are currently available through Amazon and seem fairly priced.
ORIGINALITY
Very original. I have never seen stories like these and because the books are based on real-life events, they are all the more charming. They offer something different for adults too. I find that I don't get bored if they are requested for a few days on the trot!
OVERALL RATING
I would really recommend these books as something different. If you like traditional stories and your child loves animals, this is a good set to read. The website adds to the concept and means that you can purchase them easily. My daughter often asks for these stories at bedtime and we look forward to collecting the whole set!
My reviewers were my two daughters, aged eight and five. Two eight-year-old friends, one boy and one girl, also played with it during a visit. The Pop-up House is a thick white cardboard playhouse with a roof, windows, door and letterbox. The outside of the house is like a big picture for colouring in, with details such as a person, a dog and so on.
MANUFACTURER: Cardboard Playhouses
AGE RANGE: 2-9 years
COST: £24.99 (includes free delivery)
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS
EASE OF USE
The house is incredibly easy to use. It simply pops up, with slots for the roof to slide into to hold it in place. It folds away flat really easily. The cardboard is very good for colouring on and felt tip pens and colouring pencils show up well on the white cardboard.
DURABILITY
Despite basically being a big fancy cardboard box, the playhouse is made out of quite strong cardboard and survived four children playing in it at one time without any damage. Parts of the roof have eventually started to wilt after a lot of play, but that is after many hours. It is obviously not a toy that will last for years. At the end of the day, it is made out of cardboard and once the children have completely decorated it/coloured it in, then half of its appeal is gone. The children can play with it outside, but it has to be quickly brought in if it rains and it did start to blow across the garden on a windy day.
VISUAL APPEAL
This toy is not particularly pleasing to look at. Having said that, it is not particularly offensive either. It is a big 3D colouring picture in the middle of your room when it is being played with, and it is quite big. The beauty is, however, that you can fold it back flat and store it behind a cupboard or something when it is not in use.
FUNCTIONALITY
It is designed to keep the kids amused and allow them to be creative and use their imagination, and it most definitely fulfilled that in our house. My children spent hours and hours colouring it in and then drawing their own designs on the inside and out. They then spent many more hours playing in it and posting each other letters through the little letterbox. When their friends came for a play, four of them had quite a lot of fun in it as well. I wonder if there could have been a few more pictures to colour in, which would give it a longer life. My daughters said: "It is really good for playing games with" and "I love it! I love the windows. I love the fact that we can draw on it, I love the letterbox."
COST EFFICIENCY
I initially thought it was far too much money for something that is just made out of cardboard, but after seeing my children having hours and hours of fun with it, I have changed my mind. The colouring in element really captured their imagination, but they do really enjoy colouring-in anyway and spend a lot of time doing this. It may not be such good value for money for children who do not spend a lot of time with their pens and pencils. Also, I think that it would be better value for money if it came with some pens. As it stands, it's not fantastic value because the amount of colouring needed on such a large scale means you use up half of your pens!
ORIGINALITY
It is certainly an original idea, and that is why it works so well. My children have never had a giant 3D colouring picture to do before, so they were really excited about it and couldn't wait to get started.
OVERALL RATING
I have to give this four out of five. It was a real hit in our house and has provided my children with hours of fun. It appeals to children from about two to eight or nine. However, I do think the novelty will wear off after a while, especially when most of the picture has been coloured in. I usually want a toy with a bit more longevity for this amount of money and that is the only reason I have not given five stars.
My six year old son road tested two Meccano Build & Play sets. He road tested the motorbike/quadbike/helicoptor multimodel pack (4120) and a single model dinosaur pack (2130C) - the dinosaur, I'm reliably informed, was a pterodactyl.
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS
EASE OF USE
My little boy sometimes needed a bit of help building the models. Although he found the pictorial instructions easy to follow he found it a little 'fiddly' to fit some of the parts. However this did not detract from his enjoyment as it's a great activity to do together with a parent. Other parts he managed well independently, particularly once he'd built the models several times. The pieces are fairly large and flexible and some parts simply click together for easy building. The dinosaur model was rated on the box as an easy build level and the 3 vehicle model was rated as medium difficulty - accurate ratings I would say.
DURABILITY
These products are built to last and will no doubt be stored in the loft to dust off for grandchildren (I'm getting slightly ahead of myself but you get my point). They will withstand being built and re built and I think the concept will continue to last through the generations - so a big 5 stars for durability.
VISUAL APPEAL
The models look great. Brightly coloured pieces make up the set and you can accessorise with the stickers provided to add personality and make very friendly looking characters. The packaging is attractive and provides further ideas for play.
FUNCTIONALITY
Great! Does what it says on the tin - Build & Play! Uses fine motor skills to build and it's then up to the child to let their imagination take over and play with their new creation.
COST EFFICIENCY The multi model pack was particularly good value as 3 very different models can be built (retails at approx £13-15). The dinosaur pack (retails approx £6 - £8) is not as good value - as only one model can be built. There is the option of buying further packs, which together with this one, build a 'bonus' dinosaur but that involves further expense. However the quality of the toys probably justifies the cost.
ORIGINALITY A modern take on classic meccano, the pieces are bright, flexible & the models have a personality once built (they have eyes!) - but no need to be too original as the meccano formula clearly works.
OVERALL RATING A great toy from Meccano and a sure fire hit with boys, young and old.
For more info about this and other Meccano toys visit www.meccano.com
Our very first family game was another Orchard Toys Game - Incy Wincey Spider which has been a favourite ever since. Three Little Pigs continues this quality. Based around a favourite story that most children will already be familiar with Orchard Toys make it exciting to take turns and even not too bad if you lose with the inclusion of sayings to proclaim, pieces to collect and just the right amount of jeopardy for small children. A lovely family game.
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS
EASE OF USE
Set up was easy with pop out pieces. Instructions were easy to follow and exactly right for my 4 year old.
DURABILITY
The game is made of hard wearing cardboard and I can see it lasting. The box to keep it in is also very sturdy.
VISUAL APPEAL
As with all Orchard Toys games they are lovely and colourful immediately enticing small children in.
FUNCTIONALITY
The game is exactly what it says. Based on the story of the 3 pigs it follows the story very well.
COST EFFICIENCY
Definitely good value for money.
ORIGINALITY
It is lovely that this game links to the story so well. The building of the houses and then having to say the tagline "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down" makes it a lot of fun for all the family.
OVERALL RATING
A brilliant family game that is a lot of fun for all ages. Helps with counting and developing tactics. Lovely looking product that seems durable.
To read more about the Three Little Pigs game on the Orchard Toys website click here.
Our little reviewers were three girls, aged three, six and eight, plus friends, both boys and girls, who joined in at certain points. The Rokka begins as a Cornish fishing boat/see-saw/play table with chairs/tunnel/bridge (starter pack) and by buying further play packs it can become a kitchen and a theatre. It is a large wooden toy that grows and changes in step with a child's development.
MANUFACTURER: Rokka Play
RECOMMENDED AGE: 1 year +
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS
EASE OF USE
Once you've assembled the basic Rokka, the idea is to leave it up. Converting it between a table, rocker, boat, kitchen and theatre takes a matter of seconds thanks to the ingenious design. There are no bolts or screws to contend with. The parts just slot together easily. A new toy is built in moments by turning the Rokka on its side and adding a curtain, doors, a sail and so on. Older children can do a lot of the conversion themselves once they're shown how.
DURABILITY
The Rokka is built to last and will probably see you through several children, maybe even grandchildren! It is very sturdy and well made and you would be hard pushed to break it. The surface is varnished so that it will not stain.
VISUAL APPEAL
If there was a six-star option we would certainly give it to the Rokka. It is fantastic to look at and very appealing to both children and adults. The boat design is inspired, using giant wooden spoons to make a sail and oars. It is the sort of toy that would enhance the look of a playroom and almost looks like a piece of furniture. It would both blend in and stand out, if that makes any sense!
FUNCTIONALITY It's obvious to a child how they would use each part and the great thing is that children are not limited to playing it in a certain way. At one point it even became a cliff in our household! Our three-year-old definitely liked the see-saw and kitchen, along with her two-year-old cousin, whereas our six-year-old became obsessed with putting on puppet shows at every given moment. However, our eight-year-old was struggling to enjoy it as much as the younger children.
ORIGINALITY Totally original! We have never seen anything like it before and the ingenuity of the Rokka means that it can become several toys in one, thus extending the playing possibilities to as far as the child's imagination will take it and seeing the child through various developmental stages as they grow up and require different styles of toy.
COST EFFICIENCY The Rokka is not a cheap toy, especially if you buy the accessory packs. Even if you could justify the basic Rokka, you would still have to spend further amounts on the accessory packs, which is why it may be better to spread the cost by buying the basic toy whilst your child is young and the accessory packs as they get older. If you were to view the Rokka as an investment it may be easier to justify the cost.
OVERALL RATING The Rokka is a clever, appealing, original toy. If money and space are not factors for you and your child is under 2 I would recommend the Rokka because it is a beautifully made toy that will grow with your child.
This set came with over 75 pieces and was put together by my 11 year old son. The challenge in the toy is putting it together and not losing the pieces if you ever take it apart. The sense of achievement is great when the final screw is tightened.
MANUFACTURER:Meccano
RECOMMENDED AGE: 7-14 years
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS
EASE OF USE
He quickly found that he needed extra help from an adult as the pieces were fiddly to hold and tighten at the same time. With practice he did get better at this. The instructions were in the form of diagrams which made it easy for children to follow, however you do need to be very accurate and follow each stage in the correct order. The screwdriver was a bit fiddly to use and it was hard to fully tighten all the screws.
DURABILITY
The toy itself is very durable, but once you have opened the box there is nowhere to keep all the pieces and instructions.
VISUAL APPEAL
Striking design, looks very futuristic.
FUNCTIONALITY
Making the model is lots of fun and the finished model does fire rockets and has clever holders for the missiles. However it did not keep the attention of my 11 year old for very long.
COST EFFICIENCY
Approx £20 from Amazon. On the expensive side and could do with more durable packaging to hold spare pieces and tools.
ORIGINALITY
Similar to many other construction toys.
OVERALL RATING
An enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. If you were to collect some of the other models in the range you could have a really good game and create your own battleships by joining them all together.
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easy to follow he found it a little 'fiddly' to fit some of the parts. However this did not detract from his enjoyment as it's a great activity to do together with a parent. Other parts he managed well independently, particularly once he'd built the models several times. The pieces are fairly large and flexible and some parts simply click together for easy building. The dinosaur model was rated on the box as an easy build level and the 3 vehicle model was rated as medium difficulty - accurate ratings I would say.
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