No cavities for this croc (Hasbro Crocodile Dentist)

Member Name: belglen

Product:	Hasbro Crocodile Dentist
Date:	27/08/09 (100 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No batteries, easy to play, short

Disadvantages: May get a bit boring

My 2 oldest children have just returned to school after the long summer break. It was a very wet and uneventful break for them and we were unable to afford a holiday this year so it was very much a staycation. However as an end of summer treat we booked a 2 night break at a hotel and spa, the children were well served by the swimming pool and enjoyed this very much. As we were going to be away from home for two nights with 3 young children we decided to bring some games and art activities for them to play in the evening. One of the games was Crocodile Dentist, this was bought for one of the children last Christmas but had not yet been used so we thought it would be something different for them to play.

Our version of Crocodile Dentist is from MB Games, it is for 2-4 players and for players aged 4 years and over. The box for the game is bright and colourful with a cartoon crocodile and some children on the front and sides. On the back of the box are the instructions on how to play. When I opened the box I was pleasantly surprised that there were only 2 elements contained within, the plastic crocodile head and a sheet with some stickers. The stickers were the eyes and nostrils for the crocodile and had to be affixed to the plastic head. I took out the head and looked all over for a battery compartment, I then checked the box to see how many batteries were required and to my astonishment there was no compartment and no batteries required, quite unusual for a modern game.

The object of the game is to press down the crocodile's teeth without getting chomped. The youngest player goes first, this always pleases my son and irritates my daughter. Basically you ensure the crocodile's mouth is fully widened and then each player takes a turn to press down on a selected tooth, if you are lucky nothing happens and play passes to the next player, again they press down on a tooth. The crocodile randomly chomps down on a player when they press a tooth and if this happens you are out and after widening the mouth again play continues until everyone is out, the winner is the person left at the end without being chomped.

This is a very simple, low tech game but we had fun playing it. I don't think it would entertain children for hours on end and there are no sophisticated tactics or game play involved. It is just down to pure chance as to who the crocodile chomps, I think this is what my children found so amusing. It is a bit of a shock when the mouth closes down on your fingers but it is not scary and it does not hurt. My children are aged 8, 6 and 22 months, the game is aimed at children aged 4 and over but I can see no reason why a younger child could not play in fact my youngest was able to grasp the practicality of pressing down on the crocodile's tooth and he was very entertained when the mouth closed down. There are no small parts to the game and no electronic parts, no really sharp edges so I can see no reason why a younger child could not join in.

This game passed some time for us and the children enjoyed it with no major temper tantrums as to whose go it was or who won. It is a game that could be put away and played with occasionally as a bit of a change from other types of more sophisticated game. I would recommend this as a straightforward game for all the family, a bit of easy fun and no batteries required.

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Summary: Easy way to pass some time with children