LEGO Games Product Test - Feedback thread

[AnnMumsnet]

Many thanks for trying a LEGO Game on behalf of Mumsnet. Below are the feedback questions LEGO would like you to answer. Feel free to also add your own comments.

Everyone who was part of the test and who offers feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive £200 of Argos Vouchers.

Please do say which game you tried - Shave a Sheep or Harry Potter Hogwarts and the age and gender of the child(ren) who played with it.

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?

Many thanks,
MNHQ

We had Shave the sheep and played with boys aged 4 and 5

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game? They were very excited as both love lego

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

The boys both loved the building of the game and Maxi (5) managed to build his sheep independantly by watching me, but Mini (4) needed a little help, but he could add wool by himself. They love the game, it is really simple, but allows for some level of strategy. We have played this every day since we received it. It is a real hit, the boys even took it to a neighbours to play with it there.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

The boys changed the rules a little - yes they had us all howling like a wolf! I think as they get older they will make it harder and implement more changes. The games rules are very simple to follow

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

A game lasted in av 30 mins with 4 of us playing and about 15 mins with the two of them playing together, but that in itself is a feat as they do fight a loit.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor

Excellent Value. It is compact, playable and works for the whole family.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No

Yes, we love it

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?

This would be an excellent birthday or christmas gift

We had Shave a Sheep, played by DS1 aged 6 and DS2 aged 3, plus parents!

Q1 They loved the box and 6 year old read all the words from it, then demanded we play it right away.

Q2 The 3 and 6 year old enjoyed building all the pieces for everyone, the 6 year old did it independently and the 3 year old needed only a little help. Both boys loved playing the game and got very competitive about winning, which for them is rare.

Q3 No we didn't change the rules, we played it in all the different ways suggested in the instructions though. Rules were fairly simple but took us a couple of games to properly understand them - after that we didn't need to refer to them. Both boys understood after 2 games what the different sides of the die meant.

Q4 The coolest thing was taking the wool off of the sheep and also stitching up the other players! They especially enjoyed the wolf.

Q5 We've played it for 5 nights in a row now and they've asked to play it again tonight before bed. We play at least 2 games each time, often 4 games.

Q6 Shave the Sheep is excellent value for money

Q7 I will definitely recommend the game to others, already mentioned it to a friend. We'd love to play the Harry Potter game now.

Q8 I'd recommend it for any kind of gift, for any occasion - a brilliant Christmas family present too.

We have Shave the sheep, played with by my two boys aged 6 and 4 (and me!).

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?

They were excited, they wanted to play it straight away.

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

I had to help them build the sheep and wolf, but since they have taken them apart and re-assembled them themselves easily. They play the game independently now, though they prefer me to play with them as they like stealing all my "wool"!

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

No changes, rules easy to follow. Quickly picked it up.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

The wolf, no question. They also liked building and ebuilding the animals.

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

First time about an hour, thereafter anything from 15minutes to over an hour.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor

Excellent, they've played with this far more than other games.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No

Yes

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?

Birthday or Christmas present. It is very good game and I think my son's friends would like it too.

Hogwarts game, played with 2 girls aged 7 and my 4 year old girl "helping"

Q1 - very excited, older dd was thrilled as she loves HP

Q2 - on opening the box their elation deflated slightly as there were sooo many pieces and they wanted to get on and play it. They love building lego kits, but they just hadn't expected to build the game before playing it - so I did a lot of the building (but great idea that you can put it back in box built for next time). They did enjoy playing it and got the hang of the different moves very quickly (even 4 yo). I can see the interest lasting for a long time as they will learn to plan ahead and get better at it.

Q3 We haven't played it enough yet to change the rules, but I will introduce the ideas on the box when they're a bit more familiar with it. Very positive about the idea of making the game your own and adapting it. I think the game as it is was more simple than the instructions made it sound to start with. Does it need a youtube link for how to play instead?

Q4 DD1 aged 7 loved the HP links (moving staircases etc) and trying to work out what the pieces of homework were. They all loved wrecking fellow players planned pathways (what does that say about my children?)

Q5 about 20 mins each time. I felt they'd had enough by then so I didn't follow the rule about returning to home at the end.

Q6 Average - I think it's a great game but just as lego feels expensive for the pieces you get, this feels more expensive than a similar non-lego board game would.

Q7 Yes

Q8 birthday gift, Christmas present for a lego AND HP fan. I think the game would be harder to learn if you didn't already know the HP stories.

We got Shave a Sheep. DS is 6y8m.

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?

Total and utter delight and glee. He'd seen it in the shops already. I am officially top parent for applying for it (thanks!).

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

DS put the game together easily and was very proud.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

Haven't changed rules. Easy to follow. Lego Prisoner's DIlemma!

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

"Wolfing" people! Complete with sound effects.

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

Half an hour, with adults. Has been played every day since receiving it.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor

Excellent value for money.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No

Yes, no hesitation.

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?

Good gift to take to a birthday party; nice present for Christmas for nieces and nephews etc; good stocking filler; bribe for 'improved behaviour'

It really is a lot of fun, much laughter caused, and the faces of the sheep and wolf are fantastic.

We tested Shave A Sheep

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?

They were very excited, wanted to play it immedietly and were fightimng over who'd get to be the wolf until i explained they'd both get a go of 'wolfing' the other

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

I built it before they saw it as from previous experiance they're not patient enough to wait while I assemble lego (they're 5 and 4). During the second game a friend called round and dp gave her his sheep to play with and my two were well able to explain the rules to her and teach her how to play. I played with them each time as my two could start a fight about anything so I knew left to themselves with a turn taking game would end in tears.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

The rules were easy enough. The only thing we did a bit differantly to the rules was that when someone had 4 pieces at the start of a turn and rolled a 2X i told them to put five of the six pieces in their safe pile and just lave one on the sheep. We might try some of the suggested changes to the rules this weekend though now that they understand the rules well enough.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

The wolf!

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

About 30-45 mins each time, once with me, once with me and a friends of theirs and twice with me and their grandad. They want to play it every day but we've had a busy week so far so haven't had a chance.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor

Excellant ++ I asked my dad to guess how much it cost and he thought it must be at least 15 euros, he was very surpised to hear it was only E9.99.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No

absolutely, yes

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?

I've already decided i'll be buying it for a few upcoming birthday parties but I think it would be a great stocking filler or everday treat as well

We had Harry Potter Hogwarts game.

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?
Ds (10) eyes lit up and asked whether it was an early Christmas present!! Told him he had a mission to complete for MN and he couldn't wait to get started.

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?
Building the game was quite easy with a 10yr old, he didn't want my help to make it up. He loved the idea of building a game and then getting to play with it. Double the fun!

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?
Jack didn't change the rules the 1st time round, he and a friend played it 'by the book' but they have decided to change the strategy for this weekends rematch!

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?
They loved the moving staircase, but were disappointed as we had no Hermione in our box!

Q5 How long did they play with it for?
The boys played the game for around 40 minutes (not including setting up)

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor
Fantastic value for money, we will be looking into more HP lego games for Christmas presents this year.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No
Already have told many of the mums at school about the game and also about MN!

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?
Any and every occasion,
I see this game being one that we buy to give to DS's cousins and extended family for birthday gifts.

Shave a Sheep played by two boys aged 8 and 5.

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game? They were overjoyed, they have several Lego games and enjoy them all.

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

They pretty much did it all themselves although the older one has dyspraxia so some problems with fine motor skills so he needed just a little bit of help.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

We followed the rules, they were easy enough. I think they probably will change them in the future and probably try to make the game even meaner for each other.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

I think like the others it's the wolf!

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

They've played it most nights now and it lasts about 15-20 mins

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor

Always excellent value for the Lego games.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No

Yes absolutely.

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?

It wuold make a great birthday present, or stocking filler, basically a great gift for any time.

Shave a Sheep, dd aged 5 years 9 months.

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?

They were very excited but I built it all before they saw it. I got confused building it as there were two packets, I assumed bits for the sheep would be in one and bits for the wolf would be in the other at first, quickly realised both sets were mixed together in the diferent packets!

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

I built the game first but dd could now (and does) disemble and reassemble the wolf and sheep on her own. DD loves the game and we've played it every night, she has also taken it to her grandparents to play. We've always played it all together.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

The rules were fine to follow but I think the first dice picture is possibly wrong (?) or we're now playing it incorrectly, we put the 2 pinks together the two greens etc, otherwise when it landed on a half green/half pink it was difficult to know what to do! Haven't changed the rules yet but the wolf now does a 'roar' and scurries up the leg of whoever has the sheep its stealing the wool from!

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

The wolf! And they love stealing the wool off other players!

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

Each game lasts between 15 and 30 mins and they've played it every night at least twice.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor

Excellent

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No

Yes definitely

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?

Think it would make a lovely gift for school friend's birthdays and at the price is affordable too.

Have really enjoyed this game, its been something the whole family has been able to come together and play, allowing us to switch the tv off and have fun!

ooh good - I've been lookingout for this thread!
We got the Harry Potter game and all played it - ds1 is 8 and ds2 is 6.

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?

They were excited when they saw the box but slightly disappointed when we realised it needed assembling before we could play it - the number of bags with teeny weeny pieces in was quite off-putting...

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

Ds1(8) got cracking with building it - he's very patient and did well but it took quite a while so dp waded in to help with the last few pieces. I was impressed that ds1 stuck at building it for so long actually - didn't think he would! I'm pretty sure ds2 wouldn't have been able to do it, but the game does say 8+ so fair enough..!

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

We haven't changed the rules as yet. We all thought (including dp and me) that the staircase rule could have been explained better in the instructions - the bit about lifting and shifting. We found the rules fairly complicated at first but got the hang of it pretty quickly - within the first few rolls of the dice. Again, I don't think ds's would have been able to pick up the rules without dp/me helping.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

They LOVED being able to block each other and spent more time foiling each other's moves than they did progressing their own pieces (which is why I won and dp came second! ). We all loved the fact that it's strategy-based and makes you think and plan ahead. I think it's a really good concept for kids - like a different version of chess in a way.

Q5 How long did they play with it for?
We've only played one game through to the end - took well over an hour

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor
I think average/poor to be honest - it's a lot of money to spend on a board game.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No
Yes, but not for value for money, but for how different it is. We'll definitely be playing it again. My only worry is that unless it's looked after properly, bits will start to go missing and then you've had it...

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?
Birthday/Christmas.

We had Shave a Sheep and played with a 6yo and 3yo.

Q1 They were very excited though slightly disappointed there were no little men in the pack as shown on the picture.

Q2 dh built the game, kids didn't get a look in. Says more about my dh than the game though!

Q3 The rules were easy to follow, nice mix of strategy for the 6yo and simplicity for the 3yo.

Q4 Wolf attack - they love that bit. And when the sheep's face fell off

Q5 About 20 mins I think, but have gone back to it time and time again.

Q6 Excellent value for £7.99 I think.

Q7 Definitely recommend.

Q8 Excellent birthday party type present.

The only drawback with the game was the incessant howling from the 3yo every time she lost her wool. Not sure I can blame Lego for that though!

We tested the Harry Potter game.
1 How did your child react when you showed them the game? We played it with DS1(10) and
DS2 (almost 8). They were really thrilled, as they have another lego game (minotaurus) and love playing that!

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance? They loved the idea of building the game, although my nearly 8 year old would have no way been able to build it. It was a challenge for my 10 year old and he is excellent with Lego

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow? We've only played by the set rules so far, but they found it easy to pick the rules up as soon as they started playing it, rather than just reading them through.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?
They both liked blocking each other and ruining each others strategy! They especially liked being able to do this for DH as they said he won too many board games in our house!
Q5 How long did they play with it for? The first time about 2 hours, including quite a bit of time building it. The next time we played it for about 40 minutes.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor
Harry Potter is excellent value for money given how many pieces there are, and the fact my boys would play it every night if time would allow.
Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No- Yes, but I would warn them about the involved building first of all!

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?
As it is £24.99, it's more of a Christmas gift or possibly a birthday gift for your own child rather than someone elses (IYSWIM)

is it only me that thinks the original pictures of the dice set up are wrong? or am i now playing the game incorrectly??

Harry Potter Hogwarts game, DS, age 5, DD age 4 and Nephew, age 8.

Q1 DD and DS were very excited and wanted to play straight away. Nephew was, I think, secretly pleased, but wouldn't show it.

Q2 Nephew wasn't really interested, just wanted to join in when it was built. DS and DD, with my help were able to build it, following the instructions, though it did take a long time! They all thought the game was good fun, though the rules were a bit hard for DD, but DS and nephew were fine. They did need adult assistance.

Q3 At first, we didn't change any rules, but after about two games, we added in the Dumbledore and Mrs Norris bits. Haven't made up any of our own rules yet. The rules were easy enough to follow, but they probably would have been confused if I wasn't referring to the instructions all the time!

Q4 I think they layout of the castle was good, they thought they way you can move it about was cool. DS mostly enjoyed being able to block the other players! DD mostly enjoyed Mrs Norris. Nephew, once he got the hang of it, liked working out the strategy.

Q5 About 45 mins each game.

Q6 Average. Quite expensive as a game, but ok for a much-wanted present.

Q7 Yes

Q8 Birthday or Christmas gift, for someone close.

We have the Harry Potter Hogwarts game, DS is 8 years old.

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?

DS was delighted to find out that he would be a games tester and really chuffed to open up the big box and find Lego HP inside.

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

DS built game on his own, quietly absorbed for an hour or so and extremely happy to have brand new Lego to put together following the instructions. He was able to read the instructions independently and then tell me how to play the game.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

DS changed the rules first time we played by adding a section fixed to the edge with an extra homework item to collect. Second time we played with Mrs Norris and Dumbledore as per instructions. The rules are easy to follow.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

Getting to build your own Hogwarts was the most enjoyable part and getting to customise the game was the coolest part.

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

At least twenty minutes with 2 players.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor

Excellent in that it's a really well-designed game that works well and has an attractive look and desirable little Lego pieces. £24.99 seems reasonable when you look at the prices of Lego sets and expensive when you compare it to some board games. I'd buy it as a special gift, though, because it has the HP association and because it is the best Lego board game we've tried so far. We've also tried Ramses Pyramid, Magikus, Monster 4 & Minotaurus. The only game rated as good as HP by DS is Minotaurus.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No
Yes.

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?
A special birthday or Christmas gift - £24.99 is too expensive for our family to consider this an everyday gift.

We were sent the hogwarts game, my two sons played it, aged 11 and 5, with my young daughter watching happily.

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?

My older son actually squealed when he saw it :o. My younger son was very excited too and they both insisted we play it then and there as a family.

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

Putting the game together was a welcome novelty, my older son helped my younger son with the fiddly bits without any major upsets! It was all very straightforward. We all played it together the first time, but they picked up the rules very quickly.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

We didn't change the rules, but we will! The rules were easy to follow and I anticipate that the fact we can change them will keep the game fresh and new each time we play.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

Being able to play a board game with Lego figures is a nice novelty (my youngest ds even insisted he play with his Lego star wars figures for a while). Being able to change the board was good too.

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

Over an hour

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor

A lot of board games are comparable in price, so I think the price is good. It would be nice if it were cheaper, of course!

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No

Yes we loved it!

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?

Birthday or christmas.

Thank you very much LEGO for this, it was a really enjoyable product test to be a part of, and being a family of board game lovers I'm sure we'll get a lot of use out of it! :)

We tested Harry Potter Hogwarts - twin sons aged 8 1/2.

1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?

Very, very excited, it was out the box and built immediately.

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

I had to read the rules while they were building it but they built and played it themselves.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

They didn't quite understand the moving staircases until I made them read the rules themselves! Then they were off and the game has been played often but as they are twins rules need to be followed and not made or arguments happen!

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

The items you have to collect.

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

They play with it still and will do - it is usually about an hour and then they make up stories and use it just as they do their regular Lego models.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Good

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?

Definitely for birthday or Christmas due to the cost. Or as a special treat for achieving something.

Can I just add that my sons are so happy with this and think that the people at Lego sent it to them personally because they love the Lego stuff they already have!

Shave a Sheep
Male 7yo
Male 4yo

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?
They were really excited and wanted to play it straight away.

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?
7yo had no problems building the pieces and reading the instructions.
4yo needed the game to be explained but soon caught on.
Once explained they played on their own.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?
7yo wanted to change the rules but 4yo found this difficult, so we stuck to the original rules.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?
They thought the dice was really good.
They enjoyed the nature of the game, in that they could chose whether to do something with their own sheep, swap, or send the wolf.

Q5 How long did they play with it for?
Over an hour when we first used it and on and off since then.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor
Excellent.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No
Yes.

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?
Present.

We tried Harry Potter Hogwarts and DS (7) and DD(10).

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?

Totally blown away. DS was so excited. He is a massive Lego fan and could not wait to get started.

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

DS was very happy to do the build on his own but in his eagerness to actually play the game (I was really surprised at this as building is the part he normally really relishes ? 'look what I've done mum ? all on my own!') he recruited DD to help! It was time consuming and DD commented on the tinyness of the pieces but they found it great fun.. They asked for assistance only once (tbh I was surprised at this as when Lego construction is being undertaken normally there is no request for help at all) and it was because neither of them could get the green 10x2 to attach to the base plate (pg7). They found the game great fun and with DD reading the rules of how to play they had the first game just the 2 of them ? no adult intervention needed. There was lots of 'cool', whoops, and yells and only one 'no you don't do that'. Having joined in the game on a number of occasions DH has commented on the fact that the flags are easily knocked off while playing.

Once constructed there are not too many pieces to lose so after a week it is still fully constructed and ready to play.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

Initially DD read the rules and they did not seem difficult to follow at all ? I did not intervene so could not confirm that they were playing the game correctly but they had a jolly good time ? DS won!. Later, when adults joined, on reading the rules DH observed that he did not have a picture of what the game was about until he got to the very end. The pictures in the instructions are really good but more are needed. DC have played with Lego alternative rules but they have not made up their own rules.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

The coolest thing in the world of DS was being able to trap your opponents . Both could associate what they were playing in the game to scenes in the film and they both really enjoyed that. Adults pov ? it definitely encouraged strategy development in both DS & DD and we could see that in action. Excellent for forward thinking.

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

Initially in excess of an hour. Over the weekend we played game a good number of times and DS has played it on his own with his toys for opponents. It is still in one piece and has been played with tonight with DS and his friend.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor

Good (lots of experience of buying Lego in this household ? much better value than the really small boxes of Lego City imo!)

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No

Yes

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?

Birthday or Christmas. A great game for occasions ? family get togethers.

Thankyou MN ? it's brought a great deal of pleasure into the household.

We played Harry Potter... Initally Ds1 (10) and I played as Ds2 (9) was on a school trip. We have since played it all together

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game? Very excited..It had already been circled in the Tescos catalogue so was pounced upon.

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?
Ds1 has built an awful lot of Lego over the years, so built the board in minutes. He was very impressed with the Divination tower, the sliding stair sections and the frogs!
(the frogs in particular)

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?We have played both Lego versions but haven't attempted our own game yet but I'm sure they will. The game was easy to understand. I was pleased to see it was a significantly different game from other Lego games..We have a few that feel very similar.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?
The frogs! :-) Ds1 definitely enjoyed it the most. As a chess player and strategic thinker he enjoyed the forward planning..ds2 liked it, but became bored when he was blocked by ds1 at every turn. I can see I will have to play the game with each child separately to allow them to get the most out of it.

Q5 How long did they play with it for? 1 hour 1st play.. we've played for about 4 hours in total

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor
Average... it is expensive but worth it as a good quality, family game.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes,

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc? Due to the cost it is a Birthday / Christmas Gift.

We tested Shave A Sheep with boys of 3 and 7

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?

Excited, but lego always goes down well and ds1 insisted on reading all the box info out to d2

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?

ds1 did all the building much to ds2's frustration, they needed a referee (moi) and ds 2 needed assistance. We have now played it at least a dozen times and it is a more attractive option than watching cartoons on the TV so hooray !

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?

ds1 is a stickler for rules so we haven't deviated except for a bit of leniency to avoid tears for ds2 if things weren't going to well for him.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?

WOLF, definately and nicking wool from other players.

Q5 How long did they play with it for?

About 30 mins each time.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor

Excellent

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes, No

Yes, we're thinking of buying one for a friend's birthday quite soon as it fits nicely into that £5-£10 budget range.

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?

As above, birthday present and it has inspired me to look at other LEGO games on behalf of Father Christmas for this year. Also maybe as a treat/bribe gift if you know what I mean.

We tested Shave a Sheep.
My girls are 6 and 8, and they played it with a friend who is 10, plus me to make 4 people playing.

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game?
Both girls were very excited and keen to get started with playing the game.

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance?
We read the rules together, and I helped with constructing the first sheep; after that they were able to play independently, although I was playing so I kept a low profile.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow?
DD2 who is 6 was not keen to give up her 'wool' cubes and cried when asked to do so
DD1 (8) insisted we stick to the rules, and DD2 soon got back into the game, a little stroppily at first!

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most?
The 3 girls all liked the concept of the wolf stealing the wool, they thought the characters looked great too. They thought the dice was a great idea as they had to build that too before they could even start!

Q5 How long did they play with it for?
We spent about 40 minutes playing the first time, and have played with it again since with fewer tears from DD2!

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Excellent, Good, Average, Poor
I think good at £7.99.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children?
Yes

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?
Birthday gift for other children. Perhaps marginally cheaper as I tend to spend around £6 on presents for most of their friends.

We tested Shave The Sheep with the chaotic ones - DD1 (11), DD2 (9), DD3 (7) and DS(4).

Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game? Opened it with DS and he was very excited and thought the postman was super to give us such lovely Lego.

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance? It was easy to set up and great that it stores easily back in the box. The whole family thought it was fun and we were particularly impressed with the way it encouraged DS to play fairly. The older 3 have played with it well on their own.

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow? I changed the rules by starting the game off with one block of wool on each sheep, as, otherwise, many of the first throws of the die were irrelevant.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most? The wolf was a big hit!

Q5 How long did they play with it for? Each game lasted just under 10 minutes, which I feel is ideal for a 4 year old.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? I think the Shave the Sheep game is excellent value for money.

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? I have already done so.

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?
I definitely will be buying some for Christmas gifts.

Shave the Sheep
Q1 How did your child react when you showed them the game? Excited: can we play it now?

Q2 How would you describe the building and playing of the game? Did your child(ren) think it was good fun? Were they able to play independently with it or did they need adult assistance? The building was great fun. We paled several times to work out the best tactics. They preferred to play with an adult (but then, my two always do!).

Q3 Did they/ you change the rules? If so, how? How easy or difficult were the rules to follow? Not so far. We are still enjoying the origianl game.

Q4 What would your child say was the coolest thing about the game? What did they enjoy the most? Making the decision about what do do from the choices on the dice.

Q5 How long did they play with it for? About 15 minutes each time and still enthusiastc about playing again.

Q6 How would you rate the game in terms of value for money (Shave a Sheep: RRP £7.99 and Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP £24.99)? Good

Q7 Do you think you would recommend the game to other parents/ children? Yes

Q8 If applicable: For what occasion would you recommend it? Everyday gift, birthday gift, Christmas present etc?
All of the above at that price.

Love it. Thanks for letting us take part.