==Greedy Gorilla==

Jack has so many board games seeing as every time his Nana comes to visit us she brings a whole brand new selection for him and also at Christmas and Birthday she will always get him a coupel then too. So much so that I bought a massive retro (G-plan) sideboard for our front room which has three super large cupboards and this has already been filled to bursting with all the different games we have.

Greedy Gorilla is a board game fro Orchard Toys and is available from Argos. I do believe the Jack's Nana bought it as a special offer with another game from Orchard Toys and this was on the 2 for £15 deal. This is not a bad price for £7.50 pence a board game and I would definitely think that we have had our monies worth from the game ten times over.

The game itself is suitable for children aged 4 years and over and can be played by 2 to 4 players. We have found that it is better when there is 4 people playing but this is just so the game doesn't go on too long!

What you get when purchasing the game is outer box which houses 4 large game cards, 32 different small food cards and a tower like item which has a gorilla pictured on along with a small leaflet that gives the instruction for the game play.

The idea of the game is simple in the fact that all players are given a large play card and then the 32 small food cards are shuffled and then placed upside down on the floor. On the large play board there are a selection of six different healthy food items that need to be collected to fill the play board and the first one to collect all six of their items is the winner of the game.

Hidden in amongst the 32 small play cards are around 8 junk food cards which need feeding to the gorilla. These little cards can be posted through a little slot where the gorillas mouth is and this will trigger an electronic sound chip whereby the gorilla will make a "burp" noise. The player who has posted this card into the gorilla will need to then say "excuse me".

Of course choosing one of the junk food cards means that you haven't been able to get a healthy food for your large card and the more turns taken up by getting these the less the chance of you winning the game. Not only by picking a junk food card are you getting less chance of winning but by picking up a healthy food item which isn't pictured on your game board means that you have to place this card back upside down on the floor and wait your turn till you get another chance to find the foods you need.

Everything about the game is well made and the large board game card and the smaller food cards are made from a thick and chunky type of cardboard and the pictures are printed on rather than stuck on so there is no chance of any peeling off of the pictures. The gorilla does need 3 AAA batteries but these actually game with the game itself (Shock horror!) and we haven't had to replace them but we do make sure that we use the off switch when we have finished playing with the game just to conserve the battery life.

To play a whole game doesn't take that long and it can be great fun. It is a good idea for younger children as it is teaching them the difference between what is junk food and therefore bad to eat and what is healthy food. It is also good at recognising different type of food that maybe the child hasn't come across yet or is unsure of the names. Jack has had it since around the age of 4 and I think he could of managed to play it easily from around the age of 3. Seeing as he is now nearly 6 he is getting a little bit bored by the game although this isn't to say that we still don't play it but he much prefers other games we have over this one.

All in all I think this is a really great game for young children. It is robust and funny as Jack used to find the gorilla burping something to really giggle over. It is good that it is teaching them all about healthy options and manners too. There is nothing to say negatively about this game. It was a good price and has had a lot of play but still in a great condition and will surely get more use once the new addition to the family is big enough to play with it.

It has to be a top score of 5 out of 5 stars and a super high recommendation. This would make a fabulous, fun and affordable Christmas present for any child!

I do hope that this has been of some help/interest to you

Many thanks for taking the time to read.