Become a Dr for a day! (Operation)

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	Operation
Date:	16/06/09 (23 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fun

Disadvantages: easy to lose the bits

This game has been around since the sixties, yet it never gets old. It's a variation on the wire buzzer game, but it's a lot more fun. What you have is a patient lying on a bed, and his body is covered in deep cavities. In these cavities lie funny shaped pieces of white plastic supposed to be parts of the body. The aim of the game is to 'do an operation' on the man, using tweezers to reach into the body and pull out the pieces. However, if you touch the metal sides when you're doing it, you set off a buzzer which will inevitably scare the crap out of you.

OK, so this is a game many of us will have grown up with, but is it still worth buying now? The first thing I like about it is that it tests your hand to eye dexterity, and requires you to have a steady hand and an even steadier nerve. These are skills that are generally worth developing, which is something you can't say for many games these days.

The second thing I will say (and this is not so positive) is that you can very easily lose the pieces. The body parts are so small, they soon get lost. Of course, every time I have ever played people's versions of this, there are always two or three missing. Sadly, this means the whole game suffers, as there really is little else to do except pick up the pieces.

The game requires a couple of AA batteries, but fear not - they last for ages as they are basically only powering a buzzer.

Because the cavities are so small, this is a tough game to play, and really only 10 year olds up can have a go. Of course, younger ones can and will play it, but it only leads to frustration in my opinion. By the time you're in your teens it's a bit boring to play, so it's only playable for a couple of years which makes it a bit limited.

You can pick this up new on Amazon for just £10, which is a surprisingly decent price for a game, and around half that you will pay for many titles.

All in all, a simple game that requires a lot of skill, but soon loses it charm (and its pieces).

Summary: do it