I must admit that when I first saw this game I didn't see the replay ability of it. Well, that was before I tried to find a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower with my hands while a loud timer ticked off the seconds till my turn was over. I'm not sure what was more fun--trying to find my assigned pieces or watching the look on my daughter's face as she realized she was going to beat me again!
What you get is basically a souped-up memory game. You will have loads of fun with this game, and it can include the whole family. The game base is a large hinged dome resembling a space ship. One side of the dome has a clear viewing window (with a light inside) so others can watch and giggle, help, or tease as you reach in through the rubber gusseted opening on the other side and try to find figures matching those on the card you have drawn after spinning the movable base.
All the pieces are plastic replicas. You will find things like the previously mentioned Eiffel Tower, a package of French fries, a football helmet, racing cars, and many more items. You put the objects inside the dome, spread out the cards (which have three or four objects printed on them), and spin the dial. The spinner is attached to the bottom of the dome--one thing that I didn't like. After spinning, you reach in and try to find the objects on your card. Every turn has a time limit, and the timer is set into the top of the dome. It ticks loudly, and you have to find your pieces before the timer goes off.
There are some other rules, presumably designed to add more dimension to the game, but we found them unnecessary. We generally made our own "house" rules and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves every time. There are a few things that could be improved upon, like those rules. They seemed quite confusing for what should have been a very simple game. Also, the timer hand kept popping off as we wound it up; a digital timer or something more secure would fix that quickly. Finally, the spinning base that points to the cards is a good idea, but I would recommend you buy the deluxe version, which includes a plastic base to lay the cards on. Every time we tried to spin the base, we wound up scattering the cards all over the place.
When it comes right down to playing and having fun, however, this game IS fun. We always laugh when we play, and even my 18-year-old wants in on the fun with his little brother and sister. Anything that brings my family together in laughter around the table is a good buy in my book!
Product review by Heidi Shaw, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, February 2007
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