The best mind-reader since Derren Brown (20Q Game)

Member Name: ferdy1985

Product:	20Q Game
Date:	28/09/07 (98 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great distraction tool for the kids on long journeys

Disadvantages: Sometimes will not guess correctly, some people don't get impressed by it.

I first read about this product just randomly one night when I was bored - I went to Google and looked for an online game that would try to work out something or someone I was thinking of with 20 questions - you know, that game where someone thinks of something and the opponent must try to guess what it is they are thinking of by asking Yes or No answer questions like "Is it white? Is it made of wood?" and the like.

I saw this product and I saw the impressive tag "GAME OF THE YEAR 2004" and I thought to myself - how could a simple game like that win Game of the Year against robots and talking Barbies and monster radio-controlled trucks? Once my slight suspicion passed I decided to try out the game off a friend who had it.

The basic idea is that I was to think of any object, so long as it is not a specific person (i.e. my Aunt Edna), a specific place (i.e. London) or a specific thing (i.e. my home made volcano I made in Geography class in 1998).

Once I established something (it was a mug), it then asked me a one-off non-yes/no answer of whether it is an animal, vegetable, mineral, or other. From then on, it gave me questions like "Is it larger than a pound of butter?" or "It is made of plastic?" Each of these answers can be answered in a yes or no form, but it also accepts a "Sometimes" or an "Unknown" answer.

Sure enough, within 20 questions, it said to me: "Are you thinking of a coffee mug?" - You can't cheat genius like that, although I couldn't find the "No, actually I was thinking of a tea mug button.......

This game really is quite phenomenal at finding out what you are thinking of. I will demonstrate further with a live tryout: I will think of... the Internet:

Q1: Is it Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Other, or Unknown? I say Other,
Q2: Do you hold it when you use it? No.
Q3: Does it make sound? No.
Q4: Was it used over 100 years ago? Certainly not.
Q5: Does it use electricity? Yes.
Q6: Is it smaller than a loaf of bread? No.
It comments... "You're a smart one..." :P
Q7: Is it made of metal? No.
Q8: Does it weigh more than a duck? No.
Q9: Can you hold it? No.
Q10: Can you buy it at a store? No.
Q11: Can you enjoy it? Yes.
Q12: Is it used by the police? Yes.
Q13: Is it usually colorful? I'd say so, yes.
Q14: Does it require specific knowledge to use it? Judging by my mum's endless troubles with it, yes.
Comment: "I can read you like a book." Cheeky.
Q15: Would you find it in an office? Yes.
Q16: Does it come in different colors? Hmm... no.
Q17: Can you find it in a church? Never seen the vicar using it before, no....
Q18: Is it manufactured? Hmmm.. unsure. Is the Internet actually manufactured? I'll say yes.
Q19: Do you use it at work? Yes.
Q20: Does it come in a box? No.

"I'm thinking, you can do better. You're thinking of... cyberspace?"

Pretty good eh, I'd tick that as a yes. It then taunts you on how easy that was.

As you can see, some of the questions are not easy to answer. The beauty with this product however is that even with such questions, if the user answers "incorrectly", the gadget still will give a good guess as to what the object was.

20Q is brilliant. It comes in various colours, is a small round handheld electronic toy that requires 2 x AAA batteries, and all its information is displayed on an LCD screen. The most difficult thing it has succeeded in guessing is a Chow Chow (my favourite breed of dog)! I was stunned, and it is great to play with your friends and listen out when they play it for the first time and it to guess the thing right and the screams of "WHAT THE ...........! Gimme another go!"

You will find yourself playing the game constantly to figure out something that will beat the little blighter! It will guess probably about 80% of the things you think of, so long as the answers you give are correct and honest. But like I said before, even if you put one or two incorrect answers it may still get the answer right!

It is quite a feat how the thing manages to work out what you are thinking of by seemingly unrelated questions. The best thing is to give it a go! You can have a go on their website.... www.20q.com to try it out!

It is the perfect game for when you are on a long road trip or flight, or at a party when you want to impress your friends. There is only one down point which I think is worth mentioning. Although the game is awesome, how often do you see yourself playing the game? Granted, it is a great game, but I can imagine people would lose the thrill of it quite quickly, and beyond the initial few hours, the fun of the game quickly evaporates.

This game is probably more of a "rental" game than a "buy" game, but I would still recommend buying it anyway!

The game is available for under £10 from most shops.

PS - I don't really have an Aunt Edna.......

Summary: A great gift for those people who like puzzles, games, and this type of gadget.