Since dooyoo does not have a category for Guess Who Extra, and I have taken the liberty of combining both games into one review. I am reviewing the older, original Guess Who - not the new version which is almost identical to Guess Who Extra without the lights and noises - but it also does not look as well made and it only comes with two character sheets.

The basic principle of Guess Who is very simple. Each player selects a character, and the other player tries to guess which one by asking questions which can be answered with a yes or a no. Through a process of elimination, you eventually rule out most of the characters until you are ready to take a guess. The first player to guess correctly wins. The games are meant to be for ages 6 and up, but I would say 5 + would be a better estimate, as my oldest was able to play on his own by then, and much younger children can play with the help of a parent. So when we play, I always help my youngest - suggesting questions if he can not think of one, and making sure he eliminates the right characters. When you have ruled a character out - you close the door over their picture or fold down their flap, depending on the game. We have been playing together since he was 3, and this is one of his favourite games.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX

Original Guess Who
Two plastic trays
48 flaps that snap in place
48 small character cards to fit in the flaps
48 Large character cards to choose your character from.

Guess Who Extra
One large flip open case. something like a laptop
6 double sided character cards which include: grown ups, kids, funny faces, pets, monsters & household items.
4 tiny rubber pins ( which are certain to get lost eventually as they are about the size of a grain of rice).
( this game will also require 2 AAA batteries if you wants lights and sound effects)

SET UP:
For the original game, set up can take some time for the first game as you must punch out all the smaller cards and place them into the little flaps and then attach all of these to the tray. This rarely needs to be repeated with a real Guess Who game, but we did have a cheaper knock off version once where the flaps fell off with every use. The cards must be sorted out each time though, unless you have the foresight to keep them separated and bundled up. Our game was used and missing most of these and you can play without them. You just have to be honest about who you picked.

For Guess who Extra you just choose which theme you are using and slot in the card.

GAME PLAY:
With the original game you keep the card with your character in front of you. With the Extra game you slide a small window over your character or characters. The Extra game also has two tiny rubber pins which fit into a hole next to the characters you have determined to be your opponents, but we never bother with this. The game is virtually the same no matter which set you use, but the extra set does liven it up by adding so many different types of characters, and the ability to select two makes elimination so much more difficult. Rather than answer yes or no in this version, you are meant to push a red or green button which will flash and make noise as well and you can add a timer, but playing with a four year old, we do not.

OUR OPINION:
My son really did love the original Guess Who until he found the new for £1 at a boot sale. Since then the old one has not been played once and I am looking for 24 dinosaur pictures to replace the character cards and liven things up. As much as usually despise adding batteries and flashing lights to traditional board games - and usually hate new and improved with a passion - I have to admit the new version is better for several reasons. The first is that it all fits into the plastic laptop style case - no need for a bulky card board box, which makes storage and transport so much easier. Next - there is really nothing to lose except for the wee rubber pins, which you do not need anyway. Set up is always quick and easy, and being able to select two characters makes the game much more challenging. But my main reason for preferring this game is the extra characters. My children rarely play as people. They prefer monsters, animals and household items. The household ones are rather odd but the children love them. You can be a a kettle, a dustbin, a toilet, a cheese grater or more with a total of 24 characters. The pets section also has a nice variety and really should be called animals rather than pets as very few people keep things like penguins, elephants or sharks, but again this is good fun and far better than boring old humans in my opinion as well.

EDUCATIONAL VALUE:
I bought this game solely for fun, not for any educational purposes. But it certainly does have some educational value. Both games help children learn to ask useful questions and use a process of elimination. It can also be helpful for language development and we use it for letter recognition as well - with questions like Does You guy's name start with a 'S' "? Or "does his name have a long A sound?" The Guess who extra is even more educational in my opinion as both children have learned the classification of animals through this by asking questions like "Is your character a mammal"? The possibilities are really endless. It could be useful for colour recognition as well - but I think most children would already know their colours by the time they are old enough to play. If looking to buy a Guess Who set this year - my recommendation is very strongly with the Guess Who Extra - available on Amazon for only £9.99.