Boggle Slam Card Game

Product Tested By Gillian Robinson Rosalind & Lilly 7 Years

The game is well presented in the box, which is sturdy. Much better than a cardboard box. The outer packaging was eye catching and easy to remove. The box is great, as it keeps all the cards safe together, rather than a cardboard box that will tear. It’s really easy to understand how to play, and there are different ways you can play it, when playing with either two or more players. It took them a little while to understand. When playing with younger children though I think it is easier to take it in turns rather than all rush to try and get rid of your cards as per the instructions. If the children are different ages and have different reading abilities it’s definitely better to take it in turns. I think the age range is fine, although some children at the younger end may find it confusing depending on their reading ability. The girls love playing it. Even though they were making words up it was making them think about the letters and sounds. Not only will it help with the girls reading and spelling, it also teaches them to take turns and to be kind. I found sometimes that if one of them children put a made up word down, the others (especially slightly older ones) would shout them down, but after a little conversation about being kind and not everyone has the same abilities, they ended up helping each other. The girls play for ages without losing interest. Admittedly one game does seem to take a long time! They sometimes just get the cards out and make words up with them, rather than playing the game properly. This is a good quality product, however if playing the speed game the cards do end up a bit battered. £6.99 is quite good value now that I have used it. However if looking at it on the shelf with no prior knowledge, I would perhaps rather it was only around £5. I would consider buying this. I would recommend this as it is a good game for children of all ages as well as adults to play together. It’s also small enough to take on holiday. I really like this game. It was good fun, for adults as well as children. It’s easy to modify the game for younger children. It would also be good to see the letters printed as lower case as this would really help the younger children with their word formation. Gillian Robinson Rosalind & Lilly 7 Years

Product Tested By Christina Osborne – Ava 9 & Ethan 7 Years

It looks like it could be fun for older children, not sure how the younger ones will take to it though. The packaging is fine. It was easy to get into and the hard box is good. I only worry that the plastic catch will snap off with repeated use. It’s quite clear for adults to understand. Straight forward and well-illustrated. The children understood what they had to do, however they couldn’t get their head around having to rush to get rid of your cards, they preferred taking turns. The age range is fine; however the younger children need a bit more help if playing with mixed ages. They enjoyed playing it together. Instead of holding their cards in their hand, they spread them out on the table so Ava was quite patient with Ethan and helped him when he got stuck. It helped Ethan form words he wouldn’t normally think about. It does slightly contradict how they are learning at school as they are doing phonics at school, but he’s at the stage where they are learning the correct spelling rather than the phonic spelling now, so it does help. They played together nicely for a few games. I think Ava would play longer if she had other children of a similar age/ready ability to play with. They like to play pairs with the cards as well. It’s a good quality product, plus it doesn’t really matter if you lose a card or two! I think this is a good product for £6.99. If it means the children play nicely together it’s worth every penny. I would buy this, especially for travelling. I would recommend to others as it’s a fun, quick game to play as either just adults, just children or as a family. Christina Osborne – Ava 9 & Ethan 7 Years

Product Tested By Emma Tomlin – Sam 14 & Rebecca 7 Years

My first impression is that Sam will probably get bored by it, or just not want to play it at all as he will regard it as a bit young for him. The packaging is good. It doesn’t look childish, so good if Sam wanted to play it with his friends. The instructions were easy to understand. Sam understood them easily enough as well. Rebecca grasped it quite easily. She is quite a confident reader so was happy to play it quickly (even if we did let her win a couple of times). The age range is fine but if there are younger children playing, adults have to remember not to be too competitive and allow them a little more time! I loved the fact that the children could play this together. There aren’t a lot of games that two children with a seven year age gap can play together without one of them moaning. However I found that Sam was actually engaging with Rebecca more and was helping her form words, and giving her suggestions, which he wouldn’t normally do. He certainly wouldn’t normally help her with her homework for example. It has helped Rebecca’s reading skills and has actually helped the children bond a little more. They played together for quite some time. I think Sam would prefer to play this with children his own age or with adults as he would be able to be competitive. It’s a great quality product. The cards will take a battering, but I don’t think they will fall apart too easily. This is good value for money. It has given my two a chance to engage with each other, which to be frank is something money can’t buy! I would purchase this product. I would recommend this to others especially if there is an age gap between their children and they want them to do things together more. Emma Tomlin – Sam 14 & Rebecca 7 Years