While the box art doesn’t indicate it as such, this game is also known as “Beat The Parents Family Challenge”. This may clue you in as to what you’re in for, especially if you’ve played “Beat The Parents“. As you might have guessed, this game will allow parents and their children to face off over a series a mini games across four different events…sort of like the Olympics in that once a team wins one medal, everyone will move on to the next category. The aforementioned “Beat The Parents” received above average marks (at least from me) so I was anxious to give this one a try when it arrived on my doorstep, courtesy of the folks at Spin Master Games.
Family Challenge: 2+ Players, Ages 6+, Average Play Time 30-45 Minutes
Components
Board, Movers, & Event/Bonus Medals – The board will allow players to track their progress (via Movers) toward medals across four categories: Vision, Agility, Smarts, and Luck.
Event Cards & Sand Timer – There are a total of 108 event cards (across the four categories), some of which are timed (via the sand timer).
Setup & Gameplay
The four event decks are shuffled separately and placed alongside the board. The event medals and sand timer are placed near the center of the table. The adults will use the red mover while the kids will use the yellow mover. The kids choose an event signaling both teams to place their movers on the bottom space of that event ladder.
Teams take turns drawing cards from the category in which they’re competing. Cards will list the number of players and who should be performing the challenge. Some cards even award bonus medals for successfully completing them, so pay attention to EVERYTHING listed on the card. When a challenge is completed successfully, that team will move their pawn up a space on the ladder. The first team to reach the top gets a medal. Once all four events are won, both teams will count up their medals and whoever has the most, wins!
The Review
I was extremely impressed by the variety of the mini games. Some were indeed very difficult and as a “parent”, you’ll often be tasked with completing these challenges in less tries (or whatever the category calls for). In other words, the game will balance these challenges appropriately and make the parents really fight to pull ahead of the kids. Some events challenge the other team while others involve everyone at the table, so you never know when you’ll be called upon to strut your stuff. This keeps the flow of play both fresh and exciting. Not only is the game a blast to play, but the price is just right at $15-$20 (per Amazon as of today’s posting). This is one family-friendly board game you won’t want to pass up.
Final Verdict: 8/10
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