We’ve been sent the brand new independent adult party Game of HAM to review. Suitable for 3-15 (or more) players aged 18+, the developers describe it as "Cards Against Humanity meets Sorry (but a little darker)". It is definitely an adult game and it is definitely very dark. If that isn't your thing, you may as well stop reading this review now. The box doesn't give much away....

X-Gen VR is a brand new Virtual Reality Centre which has opened in Stockport and excitingly they invited us down to have a look and a play on all of their new VR systems and games machines. We are all gamers, so it was a unanimous yes.

Unlike a lot of opportunities to play with VR, X-Gen VR allow children to join in from age 7, and have hundreds of available games, including absolutely masses which are age and ability-appropriate for any user. You can shoot aliens, race bikes, ride rollercoasters or take a canal trip to Amsterdam!


X-Gen VR is easy to find, at one of the entrances to the Merseyway Shopping Centre, opposite the WarHammer Game Shop. There is lots of parking nearby (the Merseyway Centre's own parking has a 6ft1in limit). Our GPS tried to send us in via the main entrance of the shopping centre - this one was much closer...

Dreamtex are a name you may not recognise, but I bet you've seen their excellent quality home textiles in store or even in your home. They work with licenses from some of the biggest names in TV, print, game and film, and are committed to corporate social responsibility, working with Sedex & Oeko-Tex approved factories, to ensure that international ethical standards are constantly met.


My boys have had some awesome bedding over the years, but they're getting bigger now and some of their tastes are changing. They've been sent reversible Fallout and ISA NASA bedding and I'm quite jealous. I'd happily have either of these on my own bed.


Fallout has been a big hit here for well over 10 years and most of us have played at least Fallout 3 to the end (I got the completist's favourite, the Platinum Trophy - this is one of my proudest moments). This duvet set really is excellent.

Last November we were invited back as guests to review the Digital Kids Show at Manchester Central. We adore it and I've used loads of information and photos from our visit in all kinds of posts since. Full of everything our family love, this really is a fantastic day out for children who are into all things digital.


We arrived 5 minutes after opening, so were able to get some photos of the hall before other people's children were everywhere. By 11.30am it was full, but never packed, and it felt very safe to let our almost 9 and 10 year old boys wander ahead or go and play while we sat nearby with a coffee.


Arriving early meant we got to play in the amazingly lit dinosaur kingdom without anyone else, and the boys could have been first to be superheroes, but said it was their day off. The ice rink was comfortably busy right from the start though.

Pyjamas are probably the UK's most overlooked and yet most loved Winter wear. We have such varied weather we can even manage without in Summer, but once Winter arrives there's the whole cold and frosty vs warm and snuggly thing and pyjamas are a necessity.


Once everyone is home and has settled for the evening, there's little better than to get into your pyjamas and truly relax, so I'm very happy to say my boys and I have all been sent new pyjamas for Christmas by The Pyjama Factory.


My two boys both took very little time to choose pyjamas, the range is pretty broad, with Harry Potter, Gaming, TV, movies, sports, dinosaurs and all sorts of children's pyjamas. There will be something to please any child and my almost 9 year old went straight to the gaming section.

Today's book review and giveaway has been sent to us by Carlton Kids Books. A bundle of 3 books for the sports fans amongst you, with World Football Records, Neymar: The Ultimate Fan Book and the sporting gamer's Who's Who - eSports Superstars.

Fortnite Battle Royale is a very popular game here and has been played by most of us at some point, although I can't say I've had more than a try! The talk of the playground, what every player aims for is to be the final character left on the map from the 100 who start.

Carlton's Fortnite Battle Royale Ultimate Winner's Guide is released on 1st November and is designed to give you hints, skills and tips to help you stay safe from the storm and earn the coveted title of Winner. We've been sent a copy to review and it's my youngest son who has taken a good look at this one...


Fortnite has age guidance of 12+ and my younger children do play under my supervision. Full of illustrations and simple to follow diagrams and instructions, Fortnite Battle Royale Ultimate Winner's Guide is a full colour guidebook. My son sat and flipped through for ages before he settled on what to read first...

Stuffed Fables is a co-operative adventure book game for 2-4 players. It takes you on a journey through a child's dream, in the nightmare-laden world that is The Fall. The book is all-important. It is where you find the story, your guide and your playing board for the amazingly detailed character pieces to play out the scenes from the story. This is also one of the most beautiful games I've ever had the opportunity to play.


There are many components. Everything is packaged in a sturdy box and fits back inside for storage. You know you have something special even before you begin to read the rules. You'll be delighted to know that gameplay doesn't disappoint either - Stuffed Fables is an all-round winner here.

Crater Craft is a new free game app from 55pixels and it's set in an imaginary world where teams of robot creatures, or crafters, use resources to create useful or decorative objects, furniture and even buildings. Regular readers will know I'm a big fan of games, but I can rarely justify the time, so I was more than happy to take this job. As it turns out, you can dip into Crater Craft for 5 minutes if that's all you have spare, you never have to commit any period of time, which for me is ideal.


In Crater Craft you manage a crater, running the farm and building a little community with your team of crafters and various visitors who call by to stay. Together you work to create buildings and furniture to make the crater and guest houses nice. You have to provide the crafting equipment and resources by farming, digging and trading.

Yesterday was the first day of the two-day Digital Kids Show at Event City in Manchester, and we were hot-footed it over there as soon as we'd watched the Magical Christmas Parade next door at intu Trafford Centre.


First thing we spotted when we walked in was the Lightseekers stand. I'd heard from them and promised we'd take a look, so we stopped off. I was genuinely really impressed. Playfusion have built some great quirks into this multi-platform game title.


My 9 year old and partner sat down to learn the card game version, while I checked out the light and sound poseable action figures. There are also an app and a console game which play very well.

Monopoly is possibly the most famous (and infamous) family board game and has given rise to many editions, one of the latest being the Monopoly Gamer Edition. This is Monopoly mixed with Nintendo gaming and it works very well. No more £10 notes, you are collecting gold coins and Power Up boosts and you can even play as your favourite Nintendo characters.


The Monopoly Gamer Edition comes with a Nintendo Character Pack, so instead of Iron or Cruise Ship, you can be Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi or Princess Peach. They are very nicely made and definitely fun.

My two boys had a surprise early Easter gift in the post yesterday courtesy of Activision and Skylanders Imaginators. They've already played the game through a couple of times, but character releases shake everything up and add their own unique characteristics...


New characters have been released in waves and we've been sent the characters in Wave 4 to review including 2 very special edition Easter variant characters. The boxes themselves are gorgeous - the illustrations are really well done.

You may have noticed that LEGO movies are everywhere at the moment,The LEGO Batman Movie has just hit the cinemas, and The LEGO Ninjago Movie trailer is whetting our appetite for the next one! Half term is around the corner, so I've gathered together some of the best LEGO Movie activities that are around at the moment....


We reviewed The LEGO Batman Movie and loved it. Here's the LEGO Batman Cribs short, our favourite of the LEGO Batman trailer videos - there are loads more on their You Tube channel.


There is a great LEGO Batman Movie website, with loads of free stuff for kids. A good place to start is with the SigFig Creator. Make a mini version of yourself - go random or even create your own supervillain... We have a complaint - where's the curly hair!!

Champions Of The Shengha will be the first game release from British tech start-up BfB Labs. They are on a mission to 'help children develop the skills to combat the stresses of life' using Mindfulness techniques. In this case it actually means controlling your emotions while playing a game in order to increase your score...


BfB Labs work in a new generation of games which use emotional response as part of gameplay. Champions Of The Shengha is a fantasy battle-card app. game suited best to ages 10-15, which requires you to remain level headed and calm while playing, in order to gain power advantages.

A small BfB Sensor (heart rate monitor) is attached to the players ear, and connects to the phone or tablet by bluetooth.  At the beginning of each round the game encourages deep breathing to control your heart rate. The calmer you are under pressure, the more power you earn.


I was a bit dubious at first, I thought it might feel a bit embarrassing or weird, and couldn't really imagine the teenagers going for it. In fact it's a simple case of sitting up straight, breathing deeply and remaining calm while you play. The game gives really effective prompts to assist you in your relaxation, which actually help, and it really does train you to be aware of your own posture and breathing, and understand how to relax. I'm now convinced.

The PLAY Expo is Europe's biggest gaming exhibition, and returns to the North of England on October 8th and 9th at Event City in Trafford Park.  This is their 5th year and we'll be there to review for the first time. We've always been busy and missed it before but, after reports from friends who went in 2015, it's been in the diary for months.


It's no secret that our whole family are gamers. Our children have all grown up watching just as much LEGO Star Wars and Tomb Raider as they have TV, and PLAY Expo is a great opportunity for us to show our 6 and 8 year old boys the kind of computer games we used to play - even though they're generally not very impressed with the graphics!


There will be absolutely masses to see and do, including:

During half term 3 of my boys and I were treated to a trip to London and an awesome event to preview Skylanders Imaginators, which will be released this October. Gaming is a big thing in my house, and Skylanders has been a favourite for several years, so this really was a treat and a half.


We even got some smiles at 6.30am in an almost empty Piccadilly Station, Manchester. Our own personal Turbo-boy was naturally already raring to go...

From today, April 29th, Ratchet And Clank are bringing their particular brand of animated family adventure to the big screen in their first ever movie release.

Ratchet And Clank is loosely based on the first video game from 2002, telling how the eponymous heroes Ratchet and Clank came together as a force for good, and introducing a few of the friends and enemies they have made along the way.


The duo find a mysterious weapon that is so powerful it can annihilate entire planets and it's up to them, assisted by the Galactic Rangers, to keep it out of enemy hands, avert disaster and save the Solarna Galaxy.

We love Loony Quest, it's a really funny board game that is great for anyone aged 8+ in the family to play, and everyone has a chance of winning. Our household has really enjoyed playing it and so I'm delighted that Esdevium Games have offered a copy to give away to one of my readers.


Loony Quest plays in a similar way to a platform video game - players progress through levels, beating bosses, collecting bonuses and avoiding obstacles as they travel. The aim of the game is to stay alive and be the first to the finish.

Updated to add Minecraft Vloggers and other TV and internet stars and celebs! - see the end of the article!

This October the first ever Digital Kids Show will take place at Event City in Manchester. A 2 day event bringing to life digital entertainment in a fun a friendly format for children and their grown ups. Six different zones will ensure there is something to interest everyone - I'm just now sure how long we'll be spending at each!

I get tons of press releases each day and I read them, but mainly I don't have time or inclination to share, however when it's really relevant to my audience and something I think is pretty awesome, then it's great to be able to tell you about it.

The long-standing Children’s TV duo Dick and Dom will kick off proceedings - which is enough to get my teenagers giggling and wanting to go...hmmm...

The six zones will include:

Gaming and Retro Tech - well, what more do I need to say, this is one of our favourite things. The very best retro and next generation computer games and tech, everything from Mario to Minecraft. There will also be some of the latest VR gaming and gadgetry.