***Don't miss your chance to win a Spin Mania game in my giveaway ! ***
Having three children of such diverse ages - Pierre is 3, Juliette is 7 and Sophie is 11 - it's often very hard to find a game that they can all play together, especially with equal chances of winning. That, however, is exactly what we found when Drumond Park kindly sent us through their brand new Spin Mania game to review.
Have you ever seen people spinning plates on TV ? Well, that is exactly the concept behind Spin Mania. You use the motorised machine to get your "plates" spinning one at a time then, with the little tool, pick them up and transfer them over to the stands.
It takes a little bit of practice but it is actually easier than it looks, as demonstrated by Juliette. You have a timer so that you can try to beat each other's scores but the spinning plates act as their own timers to begin with because you only have so long before they stop spinning and fall off, which makes for exciting, fast-paced play. It's up to you whether you play against each other or try to improve your own time.
It's as much fun to watch the others as to play yourself because there's an element of skill but also sheer luck so you can never judge how well (or badly !) someone will manage.
There's a great sense of achievement when you manage to get all three plates spinning in record time and - believe me ! - the adults had just as much fun playing as the Madhouse Mini-testers !
Pierre even had fun playing with the box as he patiently awaited his turn.
The box advises that the game is suitable for players aged 6+ but 3-year-old Pierre was desperate to have a go so, first of all, I helped him, guiding his hand and helping him transfer the spinning plates to the stands.
I was amazed to see that, the very next day, he sat on the floor, practising all by himself and within a few minutes, was capable of doing it all by himself. That's great for boosting confidence as well as honing his fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Having read the rules, I know that we're not really playing the game properly yet. You're supposed to lay the stands out in different places around the room - even putting them in difficult places such as under the table for extra difficulty and high jinks ! - but the Madhouse Mini-testers have been having so much fun getting to grips with plate-spinning that we haven't introduced this extra competitive element to the gameplay yet. It will be a good bonus to bring in when we've all played for so long that we're experts !
The only slight downside is that the batteries aren't included and that you need two C batteries, which are a size you often don't have kicking around in a drawer. Stock up because the Madhouse Mini-testers have been playing with it non-stop ever since it arrived, challenging all their friends or just playing solo, practising their skills for the next stand-off, so I'm sure we'll need to change the batteries soon !
star rating : 4.5/5
Disclosure : We received a Spin Mania game in order to write an honest review.
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I love Drumond Park products and this sounds like brilliant fun, definitely a game I would buy for my children!
ReplyDeleteLooks interesting, something a bit different from the usual board games!
ReplyDeletesounds like fun and very different from anything about already
ReplyDeleteAha looks like a game I could join in with too lol.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun game for the younger ones in my fam :-).
ReplyDeleteMy favourite toy manufacturer, every Drumond Park game we have gives my children endless hours of amusement (with a bit of education thrown in too..shhh!;)).
ReplyDeleteFab review of what looks like a really fun game that my wee ones would thoroughly enjoy - as yours obviously did judging by the lovely pictures :)