Family board games. They’re a bit of a dying tradition, aren’t they? Except, of course, around Christmas – everyone drags out a few old classics then. But we wanted to show you a few this week, some old, some new, some very-old-but-maybe-new-to-you ones too.
But we’re kicking off with a modern classic. Pictionary. Twenty five years it’s been around – can you believe that? Which doesn’t make it a ‘modern’ classic at all, but a tried and tested family favourite. It’s been updated and re-released for the 25th anniversary, this time with two levels of clues, making it playable with adults and children together. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
We’re fans of Pictionary already, but have never really inducted the children, knowing they’ll be frustrated at the difficulty of some of the clues. So this seemed ideal – and a recent rainy Sunday afternoon saw us all settle down to play, ages ranging from 7 to *cough* grown ups (with the almost-4 yr old in charge of the egg timer as Master of Timing).
Well.
What a riot!
They couldn’t get enough – we must have played for two hours straight. And it was genuinely fun for the grown ups too. Not in a nice-to-see-the-children-amused fashion. Oh no. Proper, side splitting, what-the-heck-is-THAT-you’ve-drawn? fun. Genuine jaw dropping How-did-you-manage-to-draw-THAT amazed pride in the small people, and why-can-you-not-SEE-that’s-a-CUP frustration when I was holding the pencil.
The board layout means it’s impossible for one team to streak too far ahead (important for younger players to not get disheartened), and keeps the game moving really nicely. The double difficulty cards (younger players can confidently draw ‘zebra’ while the grown ups are really wishing they had a zebra instead of ‘rejuvenate’) meant that no one struggled with understanding, and the everyone-join-in rounds meant no one got bored waiting for the other team.
Such a total success – and though the box says 8+ the 7 year old played easily. The box also says 4-8 players, but we have Plans Afoot for a mahoosive Christmas family version with a big wipe board and two large teams shouting. Can’t Wait!
Available from all good toy shops, or if you hit the picture you can head straight to Amazon and buy it now :)
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