Monday, February 01, 2016

Sshh! Don’t Wake Dad: Game Review & Giveaway


My son is four and really pays attention to TV ads now. He's great and 'oohs and ahs' but generally doesn't want for much (yet). The advert for this game 'Sshh Don't Wake Dad' though, has always been a favourite and the game firmly on his wishlist. My husband is renowned for waking up bolt upright just like the dad in the game so we laugh every time we see it.

I was delighted to be asked to be on the reviewers panel for Drumond Park games, as a board game enthusiast I am so excited to try out some new games and share them all with you, as well as offering one as a prize in my giveaway (below this post)!


'Sshh! Don't Wake Dad!'


So first up for us is 'Sshh! Don't wake Dad!'. A board game suitable for children aged five and upwards (though A is just over 4 and loves this and really understands the game well too), it's suitable for 2-4 players and the whole family can enjoy this one.

On opening the box you will find the instructions, the board, a pack of cards, a set of playing pieces in assorted colours, some dice and of course the bed with sleepy Dad on board! Just opening the box had the kids excited and they did have to get playing with the toy part out their system so we could get on with the game at hand,
The first thing we had to do was stick a couple of stickers on the board (make sure you get them the right way round) and put some batteries (2 X AA) into the bed part. Like most things nowadays the batteries aren't included for safety reasons, but they are cheap enough and I imagine will last a long time in this. The game was then very simple to set up by simply folding out, placing the bed in the guide holes and dealing the cards out. The Dad character gets twisted round and pushed head first into the pillow (with a little push on the bum too) to click into place. A and his sister loved playing with this part and took a lot of persuading initially to actually begin the game itself! The only problem with him being four I suppose. This is also definitely a game to get out when baby sister is in bed or the game gets immediately muddled! 


Each player has an equal amount of cards and the youngest player begins. The main aim is to sneak to the fridge without waking Dad. The goal is to reach the chocolate cake (yummy). You just have to give the spinner a spin and see what it lands on. If it lands on a picture the same as one of your cards then you are 'safe' but if you dont have a match then uh oh, you need to press the alarm clock as many times as the card dictates and cross your fingers, toes and eyes that you don't wake up Dad! If Dad wakes up, he jumps up and spins round, which brought on a lot of laughter as it made us jump every time! Dad waking means you get sent back to the start too, so its best to let him sleep! Along the way you also have to avoid fun things like the dreaded howling cat! I like the fact that only one player can be on a square at a time, so you get to go one ahead if that square is taken. This can mean a little head start at times which is always good, especially where cake is involved.

We absolutely love playing this game, it's nice and quick to play, it has a nice sense of anticipation to it as you never know when he will wake, it's purely down to luck and not skill which makes it fair for all ages. The kids found the Dad part hilarious and in actual fact would happily play for hours with that as a stand alone toy, they loved making Dad spin and hear him snore. A is so excited to play this with his Nanna and Grandpa next time they come round as he knows they will love it too. The game doesn't take too long which is perfect to make sure it keeps the little ones attention throughout. I've not played a game anything like this since I was a kid and really enjoyed it. I'm so glad A is at an age to play with too!



I know you and any kids in your lives will love this, so I am really happy to be able to offer one of you lucky readers a game of your own from the lovely people at Drumond Park. You can enter via the Gleam app below. If you can't wait for that, then you can find stockists (RRP £22.99) and play online at www.drumondpark.com.


Good luck!



Disclosure: I was provided with a sample game in exchange for an honest review. All words are my own. Competition open to UK entrants only, listen on Prizefinder, You Me and the Kids.