> Toys & Games |
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By
Rio Grande Games
A clever tile laying game. The southern French city of Carcassonne is famous for its unique Roman and Medieval fortifications. The players develop the area around Carcassonne and deploy their followers on the roads, in the cities, in the cloisters, and in
 One Of The Most Relaxing Games I've Seen For The XBox Live Arcade, 2008-03-22
Please note that I am reviewing the XBox Live Arcade Version of Carcassone for the XBox 360!
In November 2007 XBox Live celebrated it's 5th Anniversary since it's debut in 2002, and as a treat anyone who owned a XBox 360 and XBox Live was allowed to download and play Carcassone free of charge for a short period of time. So I thought, I take this offer and download and play the game. You can't complain at free-bee's these days can you?
At first I didn't have much interest in Carcassone cause I found it a little tough, but after I played it a couple of times, getting used to it was a piece of cake and normally you toughen yourself up and get yourself prepared for a game, but with Carcassone it was a game where I can sit back, relax and just take my time!
Carcasonne is a board game in which your goal is to use tiles to build cities, roads, and farms. The players take turns to place the tiles they get given and then using special coloured stars, you can claim certain parts of the land. If you successfully claim a certain piece of land or a piece of ground to build a castle you earn points. These points are then counted. Obviously, the person with the highest points is the winner. In total a game can take a total of 72 Tiles but you can have 2, 3 or 4 players!
The XBox 360 Arcade Version of the game has no difference whatsoever. It follows the same rules as the board game but also contains a Leader-Board score chart, which places your score worldwide once you obtain Game Over and 12 Achievements which give you a total score of 200 Points with Online Play as well!
My Personal Game Score: 9.2/10: Beauty-Baby-Bonza
My Wish: Sometimes when your playing online, you may have to wait a while before you can proceed with your turn, so I do wish that online play was slightly more quicker than it is!
Final Comments: Overall, Carcassone is a fairly quiet, relaxing, and easy game which you can put your teeth into no time. The achivements are fairly easy to get, but be warned that you could get addicted to this game!
Review By Captain Chris Kipper
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List Price: £14.99
Our Price: £12.38
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By
Trends Uk Ltd
 Wobbally Party Game, 2008-11-15
This is a good quality, well designed toy with an ingenious design and self levelling mechanism. Slightly smaller than I thought - it's only 18cm high but for the price it is still value for money and makes a lovely looking gift. A more interesting present than Lego or Jenga for an individual or family.
I think it's best suited to older children 8+ as it's more difficult than it looks to successfully send a ball flying into the centre of the wobbly tower. My younger children also got frustrated with the time it took to rebuild the tower - 7 levels, counting out 14 balls each and 98 in total. There also seems to be a hide and seek element to this game as you hunt for 2 or 3 missing balls each time. Keeping an eye on 98 marbles isn't easy.
You have to play the game on a hard flat surface which means the balls bounce everywhere when the levels crash down. Playing it on a hard table means the balls gain maximum bounce to all 4 corners of the room. The game doesn't play as smoothly as you'd expect. A lot of the time more than one ball falls out and partial collapses are common. Trying to hit the balls nearer the bottom of the tower seems to help the game last longer.
It is fun and worth a try, especially if you like Jenga. There is no game quite like it on the market and I think anyone would be pleased to recieve it as a novelty gift. I don't think this will be played very often at our house because of the hassle factor of building it versus relatively short game play time but it's a game to try it out on all your friends and relatives if only to giggle at the look of concentration and performance anxiety on their faces.
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List Price: £14.99
Our Price: £11.00
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By
Mattel
Barbie doll stars as Liana in the lastest show Barbie and the Diamond Castle! Liana and Alexa are best friends who share everything, including their love of singing! While walking through the forest, the girls find a magical mirror! As they clean the mirror and sing, a girl named Melody appears in the mirror! Melody tells the girls about the secret of the Diamond Castle, home of all music! Three musical muses once resided there until one evil muse, Lydia, tried to take the castle for herself! Liana is dressed in an everyday dress which magically transforms into a sparkling ball gown with the turn of a key! She becomes a princess of music! Her necklace lights-up as her dress changes! She sings two wonderful songs! Barbie Liana Singing Doll is a great way to encourage roleplay and develop an interest in music! Please note: only one Barbie supplied!
Another Singing Barbie Doll.., 2008-11-20
We bought this for our daughter's 5th birthday along with Princess Liana's partner doll, Alexa. Why 2? simply that the price had almost halved and they sing in tandem so thought we would get both.
The build quality is the usual Barbie doll quality and will withstand medium play. The shoes are awful and do not stay on, the tiara is flimsy, but otherwise pretty good. We have resorted to using blue tack in the shoes to keep them on and much better now!
The famous transforming dress: at the back of the doll is a plastic pink "clockwork" type key. You turn the key and the left and right front panels of her dress lift up and swoosh round to reveal the glittey lining panels, creating a new outfit. It is fairly successful, certainly my 5 yr old thinks it is "incredible" but I wonder about how well the mechanism will last. The dress is very stiff with plastic bits in the hem of the panel which does help to keep the panels stiff and hold their shape well. We had to realign part of our doll's dress with a few careful tugs and bending as the doll kept flashing her knickers (to the amusement of her elder sister and the upset of the doll's owner!) The downside to this is that it makes the doll feel very awkward and a little stiff when a child holds her - especially with the bulky key sticking out of her back! Not the end of the world, but not the same as the regular Barbie dolls when a child is playing. The turning of the key also switches off the music if wished - nice to be able to cut the song short if the phone rings or trying to get the dolls to sing in sync and keep wanting to restart.
The music: same quality of sound as previous Barbies, it is ok. You can hear the words to sing along and the volume is pretty loud. As an adult I would expect a little better sound quality for the price of the toy, but my daughters seem not to notice or care about that side of it! The doll sings two songs from the movie. The singing is activated by a button on her hand. She alternates the two songs. While the doll singing solo is ok, really it is designed as a duet to sing in tandem with her partner doll, Alexa. Liana's part does sound better as a solo doll than Alexa so if you are only intending to purchase one doll, I suggest considering this one over her purple friend. The idea of the button in the hands is that if you press their hands together they will sing together. Only partly successful, we often found one would start singing and have to start all over. It is suprisingly tricky to sync them exactly and my daughter resorts to lying them flat on the floor and taking a deep breath, pressing one with each hand! Not quite the simple "hold hands and sing" method as suggested by the advert!
So, all in all, I still think the doll is expensive at current prices but no doubt the price will drop further before Christmas. It is a pretty doll and will appeal to all Barbie doll loving children. Out of the two Princesses from the Parbie Diamond Castle, this one is better as a stand alone singing doll as the music does sound more convincing than Alexa. The dress is a bit gimmicky but kids will love it anyway.
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List Price: £21.99
Our Price: £14.67
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By
Hasbro
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List Price: £29.99
Our Price: £23.47
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By
VTech
Please note: Does not come with a Free Travel Bag as featured in The Entertainer Christmas Catalogue. Capture images using the viewfinder and flash, preview on the 4cm colour LCD screen! Use the creative workshop to edit photos! Link up to the TV or computer to see your photos or watch videos! In-built games can be played on-the-move or via a TV! Interchangeable faceplates are included for personalisation in pink and blue! There is a 16 MB memory which can be expanded with SD card (sold separately). The Camera includes a carry strap, CD-Rom and cables to link to PC and TV! This camera is ultra tough making it ideal for small hands! Great for keeping children entertained on car journeys with its games and they will love taking photos when out on their travels!
FUN TIMES!!, 2008-10-07
Got this camera for my niece on her birthday, she loved it and takes pictures at any given oppurtunity, she took it on a family holiday and ended up taking the best pictures out of the lot of us.
Real good value for money and with some nifty games and the cool pink colour she loved it.
think i may get one for myself :P
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List Price: £49.99
Our Price: £41.75
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By
Hasbro
Move over every other game ever invented and make way for the classic board game by which all others are judged. Monopoly is the absolute timeless family game. It's a game about strategy, chance, luck and ultimately about greed. Invented during the Great Depression in 1934, Monopoly has since been translated into 26 different languages and has sold over 200 million sets worldwide. It's a small wonder that most people have grown up with Monopoly. Monopoly, with its thrilling property-owning rules and objectives, is highly educational. For early Monopoly beginners of seven years, it encourages arithmetic skills. At the same time it teaches older players about money management, property management, basic economics, the art of negotiation and compromise (just how much are you prepared to trade for Mayfair). In many ways Monopoly also mirrors the lessons of life--chance and luck can throw even the best-laid plans astray, and if you 're not prepared to take the big risks you're unlikely to be life's big winner. Yet Monopoly is also great fun and for some reason its simple rules don't tire or become dull from repetition--truly the mark of a timeless classic. The only significant downside to Monopoly is that the full game can be a very lengthy event easily lasting hours. Monopoly can be enjoyed by children as young as seven years old and will still thrill a 97-year-old; it is suitable for 2-8 players. A perfect game of family fun on a rainy day, a long holiday or a cold winter night, Monopoly will probably be the most played board game your you will ever own. --Victoria Mackenzie
Timeless Classic, 2007-08-31
Monopoly is the best-selling board game in the world. In the game, players roll the dice and may land on properties. If so they may buy them. If another player lands on already owned property they must pay rent to the owner. Rent can be increased by building houses and hotels. Sometimes players will pay taxes, receive rewards and even be sent to jail. The aim of the game is to bankrupt your opponents. The game is excellent fun for older children and adults alike. It has a good balance between luck and strategy. An absoulte must-have for every family.
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List Price: £14.99
Our Price: £9.76
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By
Flair
My Life is a virtual life simulator designed especially for girls! It's the ultimate digital pocket games console that combines the charm of virtual fashion dolls with the ever increasing interest in video games! Becoming part of the My Life world is very easy, you just decide who you want to be and then create your own character! Each experience is different and each player can have fun by making a virtual life that can be shared with her friends! Just enter your desired physical appearance; shape of face, colour of eyes, skin colour etc. Then choose your look and personality! Add new fashions and accessories with My Cards 359356. There is so much to do; shop, love and nurture your pets and play games! This great virtual game also has one meter infared connection to send text messages to your friends and an organiser with diary and calendar! Featuring fun cool graphics! Girls will love creating their own virtual character and playing games on this pocket console! A great way to entertain children on long journeys! Keep your My Life Console safe in the My Life Fashion Bag 359364.
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List Price: £49.99
Our Price: £40.88
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By
Hasbro
The classic game of counter connections! Be the first to get four in a row, but keep an eye on your opponent's moves. JUST CONNNECT 4!!! It sounds so easy but it can be harder than you think! Block your opponent as soon as they have three in a row as four in a row - up, across or diagonally - wins the game! If your opponent blocks you it's time to think again... and quick! A great classic, and the perfect way to keep everyone busy at home or on holiday - whether you're young or old, Connect 4 is so much fun!
A classic!, 2007-04-05
Nothing fancy. No special effects. But a great classic game. My 8 year old daughter spends hours playing this with her dad, trying to outsmart him! Great game, great price - what more can I say!
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List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £5.21
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By
VTech
Brand New & Factory Sealed TOP SELLER FOR XMAS 2007. POSTAGE VIA SPECIAL DELIVERY. Limited stock...GRAB YOURS QUICK!!!
Kidizoom, 2008-09-11
I find the kidizoom camera to be a great toy for the children to play with. The features on it are great fun and give the whole family a laugh. It has been dropped many times by my 4 yr old and has proved to be very durable. My two children love taking it everywhere with them, and we get some great photos which the kids have taken, some very interesting, and we all love taking the time as a family to look at them either on the TV or computer. For the price of the camera i believe the quality to be perfectly fine, considering that it is only a child's toy.
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List Price: £49.99
Our Price: £36.69
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By
Mattel
Fast-paced card game. Race to get rid of all your cards first, but watch out for the special action cards. Easy to learn, easy to play, fun for all the family
FUN - ENTERTAINING - CHEAP - AMUSING , 2008-07-06
The game is so simple yet so much fun straight out of the packet, if you like fun simple card games with standard decks of cards then this is right up your alley! The action cards are what make this game so fun to play, just when your opponent is going to get rid of their last card you may be able to pull a fast one with an action card before they get there go...
This is also great to teach the kids about numbers and colours from an early age. This will definitely make your little ones competitive too. You can play with 2 people but the more the merrier.
The simple games are always the most fun. Give it a go and see how much fun shouting UNO actually is.
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List Price: £5.49
Our Price: £0.75
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