We've reviewed quite a lot of games from Esdevium recently, the latest being Disney Charades. This is a team game for 4-10 players aged around 6+.

The classic party game has the Disney makeover, and this a simplified version where there are clues, sounds and a limited number of answers, so younger children have a better chance of playing on an even level.


Disney Charades is presented in a gorgeous tin, which makes it an ideal game to give as a gift, and to take out and about. Charades can be played by people of all ages, so it's great for family games evenings. A little Disney knowledge is useful, but even if you don't have that you will learn as you go on, and can always take a guess.

We've reviewed quite a lot of games from Esdevium recently, and the latest two they've sent for us to review are Disney Rummy (£17.99) and Disney Charades (£12.99). Two family games which can be played with your younger children, and still enjoyed by their Grandparents.


Disney Rummy is suitable for 2-4 players aged around 4+. It's a simplified version of the ever-popular card game Rummy, but in this version there are 2 ways to play, and instead of cards we have plastic tiles. The tiles are easier for children to manage, and instead of a pile, you lay the cards face down on the table.

Ticket To Ride is one of my personal all-time favourite games. A turn-based board game for 2-5 players aged 8+ where players create rail routes from location to location in order to score points. The original ticket To Ride was first published in 2004, and there are now 4 different full game versions, all together selling more than a staggering 3 million copies already. There are also a host of expansion packs featuring different maps worldwide.


Until now I've only ever owned a copy of the Nordic Edition, but I've been sent a copy of the European Edition of Ticket To Ride to review, and I will also being giving one away thanks to Esdevium Games.

A couple of days ago I posted our review of Star Wars Dobble, and today I'm delighted to say that Esdevium Games have offered a copy for one of my readers for my Christmas Present Giveaways.

A frantic and fast matching game that can be played by anyone aged around 6+, this is our youngest family member's new favourite game...


Any Star Wars fans might recognise a lot of the people, symbols, vehicles and other items shown, but only die-hard fans will know them all straightaway, and it's really no bonus as Dobble is all about speed!

Fruit Salad is an incredibly quick to grasp family game which is played using a set of 60 circular playing cards and 2 special dice. My 7 year old really likes this one, and as each game needs barely a corner of the table, takes 2-4 players and lasts only around 15 minutes, it's a great game for playing when you have an odd half hour to fill.


Fruit Salad is recommended for children aged around 6+ and I think that's right because it is fast and competitive, and if I played with any commitment I'd still frustrate my newly 6 year old as he simply wouldn't be as fast as me. My 7 year old though plays on a pretty even par, and can beat me regularly.

Timeline is a fantastic series of card games from Asmodee. Suitable for anyone aged around 8+, the aim of the game is for 2-8 players to put the events shown on the cards into correct date order. It may be history, but don't let that put you off, this can be a quick-paced game and children are often as good at making guesses as adults are!


I love the Timeline games, and we've been sent the newest edition in the series for review - Timeline British History. Also available are Inventions, Science & Discoveries, Historical Events, General Interest, Music & Cinema and Star Wars.


One of the features of Asmodee games is that they care about what happens when you've finished playing, and Timeline games are stored in their own beautiful metal tin. Not only attractive to look at, they are compact for travelling and taking to friend's houses, and will outlast the cards, unlike a cardboard box.

There's no better time spent at home with our teenagers than a family games night, and Cash 'n Guns from Ludovic Maublanc makes it a games night where you point rubber guns at each other and try to steal as much as possible from the other players. It's great...




Each player takes on the role of a gangster, and the scene which unfolds is what happens next after a huge heist. The loot needs to be divided up, but everybody wants it, and everyone is carrying a gun!

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.

Hotel Tycoon is a game designed for 2-4 players aged 8 and over. Using a traditional board and playing pieces, players travel around purchasing land, building hotels and then charging their opponents to stay in the hotels until all but one player has run out of money and you have a winner!


I'd heard of Hotel Tycoon before as it was previously released as 'Hotels' in the 1970's, but I've never seen it in person. The first thing to mention is just how complex and creative the new design is. The board is really big, and split into the various resort areas...

My latest review for the Blogger Board Game Club is not a board game, but a brand new puzzle called Arokah. This is a wooden shape-fitting game, based on a set of 23 unique shapes which together form a hexagon. Arokah is one of the most beautiful products I've ever reviewed.


The Arokah box looks really nice, but is actually very flimsy and not ideal for future storage, however this possibly isn't the sort of puzzle you'd re-box any way. More experienced puzzlers, mathematically minded and logical people will have an advantage.

This month the Blogger Boardgame Club have sent us Set from Asmodee to review. Suitable for 1 or more players aged 6+, this is a fast-paced card game which really challenges your visual perception. Stay alert and you might have a chance of winning...


Inside the box are the instructions and the pack of 81 cards. Each card has 1, 2 or 3 symbols, in green, red or purple. Each symbol is clear, partly shaded or fully shaded, and each card has symbols that are ovals, squiggles or diamonds. No 2 cards are the same.

Disney Pictopia is a picture trivia game which is just perfect for Winter evenings when you are warm and cosy inside your house while the wind howls around outside. A fabulous game to play with anyone aged 7+, you really have no idea just how much you know about Disney until you start playing - and trust me, unless you consider yourself a Disney superfan, you're likely to be surprised!


Featuring 1000 questions to keep gameplay fresh for a long while, Pictopia can be played by 2-6 players, and what we discovered very quickly was that each player has a very different Disney experience and can answer very different questions!


With more than 70 Disney movies spanning from Snow White in 1937 through to all the more modern Pixar movies, our teenagers and young children could answer questions we couldn't and vice versa. It means that you can actually play with 2 or 3 generations of players and everyone has a chance of winning.

The description for Loony Quest was the most intriguing game description I've heard. Suitable for 2-5 players aged 8+, a physical game with cards and other equipment, but which behaves as a video game, requiring you to gain points and progress through a series of levels in order to reach an end target. It's a very different and quite bold concept, and does it work?


Well actually it does, and it works very well. In fact we've played this game several times now, and we haven't used even 1/3 of the cards, nor have we had any chance of learning them - but we have got better at playing, and we've laughed a lot.

I get a lot of pleasure from looking back at a review item later on and knowing I was right with my initial opinion. Some things stand out as being great, while others not so much. Here's a look back at some of the best or most reliable things we have looked at over the past 5 years....

These items we reviewed in the the second half of March 2013-2018...


Biff the Sorgenfresser or Worry Eater was a big hit here from the day he arrived in 2013, although to my knowledge my children have never actually posted any messages into his mouth. These were new and exciting 6 years ago and I'm delighted to say that they are incredibly popular now, used in schools, homes and other venues UK wide. He still looks as good as new, yet he's been a constant on someone's bed for 5 years, been fed a multitude of sticky things and been washed a few times. Nice one Biff...

We've been playing Loony Quest for a couple of months now, and this very different 'board game' has proven a massive hit in our house. Just as much fun for my 7 year old as it is for the teenagers and adults, it plays through levels like a platform video game, beating the bad guys and collecting bonus points as you try and survive to the end. All the best video games have expansions to give you a little bit more, and so does Loony Quest.


We've been sent the Loony Quest: The Lost City Expansion. This is an add-on pack, so you need the original game (here's our Loony Quest Game Review) in order to play the Lost City levels.

We did it! Yeeay! I've been quiet on the blog because I was incredibly busy helping to prepare for BlogOn Conference at the Museum Of Science and Industry in Manchester, but it's all over for now (4 months until the next one!).


Huge thanks to everyone who attended - I hope you also thought it was friendly and welcoming - as well as hopefully a good laugh. It was awesome to see so many PR's, brands and bloggers in person.

I checked people in with Sim when you arrived, and handed out goody bags at the end, but in between I did manage to take some photos...

 October's review for Asmodee Blogger Boardgame Club is a little late (sorry!), but earlier in the Autumn they sent us Picture Show: Shadow Charade Game for review. This is a great family game which doesn't involve writing clues, miming, drawing, or even acting - instead players use pre-cut magnetic shapes, a screen and lighting, and recreate their scenario, word or phrase using the medium of shadow puppetry. 

Suitable for anyone aged over around 7, and 2 teams of 2-4 people each, or even more if you can fit them around the table, it's loads of fun! 

Inside the box is everything you'll need except the batteries - 3 x AAA, and a crosshead screwdriver to fit them. 

Before first play you'll need to allow 10 minutes to 'press out' all of the magnetic shapes. Be careful because they are thick and well made, but some are a little bit easy to bend, and you don't want to lose a foot. 

When I Dream is an interesting and unique take on an old tried and tested favourite, and it works very well. A family game for 4 to 10 players aged around 8+, players guess the words that are being described, but then must also weave them into a dream and try to remember as many as possible to score more points.


When I Dream is a beautifully illustrated game with characters and pictures which remind me of the original Grimm fairy stories. Played mainly with a large deck of cards, it's almost a shame that you don't see them for longer! As well as the 110 double-ended and double-sided Dream Cards (4 items per card), there are 11 Dream Spirit Cards, 104 point tokens, bed and headboard, game board, sleep mask, sand timer and rulebook.

Uni Students might also want sensible gifts for their studies, but Christmas is about being frivolous, and I like to treat my 4 grown up uni student offspring to things that'll make them smile and maybe also have a practical side. I have previously been sent some of the following items for review - but I wouldn't also include them in this post if I didn't like them! 

Miss You Loads. 

Is anyone ever too old for a soft toy? Uni students this year especially have to cope by themselves far more than in the past. They haven't been able to nip home, and physical contact might be a bit lacking. 

I recently did a review for Moonpig, and sent my 21 year old Uni student this Sloth which warms in the microwave for a very fair £10. Other creatures are available. It's the closest thing to a hug - and it really doesn't have to be pink or fluffy. 

Father's Day this year falls on Sunday June 19th - so you still have more than 10 days to choose that perfect gift. Here are a selection of my favourites from what's on offer this year...


Memories are precious to Dads, and they can be emotional, hilarious or just make him proud. Cheerz have an awesome range of gifts including their letterbox sized Cheerz Box which starts at £16 for 30 beautifully packaged prints delivered. We also reviewed their Retro Magnets at £17.50 for 12 awesome magnetic prints delivered to your door. Our Cheerz photogifts review is here...