Fingers on the buzzers....... (Paladone Lightning Reaction)

Member Name: fluidfernando

Product:	Paladone Lightning Reaction
Date:	18/04/06 (636 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very sociable game

Disadvantages: Can hurt!

I first got this item for my birthday as a present, and at first I did not know what it was - my friend who gave me the present offered to show me as a demonstration - and he said to take one of these handles and press my finger on the button, and when the light goes green, to take it off - to my shock (pun intended) as soon as the light went red I got an electric shock - he tricked me.... he said "Oops, did I mention you are not meant to press that button until the light goes green?" And cheekily turns the power level back onto low. Friends eh..................

WHAT IS LIGHTNING REACTION?

This, to what could only be described as a fun gadget, is an electronic game where the aim is to hit a the button which is on your allocated handle as soon as a big red light in the middle of the platform turns green. If you are not the slowest player to press their button, you are safe. However, if you are the slowest to react - you will receive an electric shock. Painful! Well, yes. But you won't be able to stop playing the game......

As you can probably see from the picture, the game is a 2 to 4 player game which has 4 handles, and a platform into which these handles can be placed into when not in use. When noone is playing it rather looks like an upside-down head scratcher!

There are two levels of shock that the loser can receive. High, or low. At first when you play I would recommend the low setting. The shock you receive is quite like a severe static shock, or similar to any of those games where you have to guide a metal ring through a wire maze without touching the edges, if you fail you get shocked.

These shocks aren't harmful, and I don't think that they are electric as such (more just a large vibration), but on the platform there clearly says a label which reads:

"WARNING: This product emits an electric shock (guess I'm wrong then!) - Keep out of reach of children - read warning panel before use - Do not use this product if you suffer from epilepsy, or any similar related illnesses."

This makes the game sound really dangerous but for the time I have had it, it really isn't.

The game is set up by deciding how many people are going to play, and set that up by pressing the appropriate button on the platform. Then when every one is ready the middle button is pressed. This turns red and flashes with very ominous and scary sounding music. At this point everyone is poised but is anxious and audible sounds of "uh oh....." and a few other nervous remarks, everyone looks at the spot without a dare to blink.

Sweat pouring off the heads of the players, their thumbs quivering anxiously over the button (if the button is pressed before the light turns green then it's an automatic shock) - heart beats pumping 20 beats a minute faster, breathing radiply increasing (or stopped altogether) and BAM! Light goes green!

Everyone frantically presses their buzzer as fast as they can possibly go until you hear one person go "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" letting go of their buzzer as quickly as possible and everyone surrounding them laughing for their misfortune. The game is over, this time.

MY OPINION

This game is an extremely fun, but scary way of having a game with friends. Ideal for a drinking session or playing during a party - although it sounds scary it is actually one of the funniest games due to the amount of tension there is and the relief of not being the slowest and also the look on people's faces as they appear like they are just about to die!

I think the design of the game looks very neat, it is modern looking with a very nice presentation with the handles fitting into the slots on the platform. the red light in the middle makes it look very threatening with the surrounding music (try playing in the dark!).

I personally recommend this for the younger generation, particularly those at university or someone who goes to a lot of parties or is with a group a lot. It is a good drinking game as well, and the batteries that are included with the item last long as well.

Price? Well apparently the game was £20 when I got it. Looking on amazon.com now (April 06) the game is £18. Also I note that the site says "Only for 18s and over". Personally I have never played the game with under 18s before, but you might want to take heed in case. Personally I think this is a bit steep, I would be looking more into the £10-£15 mark for one of these, but the product does have longetivity. Although you will not use it constantly, every so often you will bring the game out to play with friends who haven't tried it before and so on.

The game requires 3 x AAA batteries. I have had the game for over a year and never had to replace them so they must go on for quite a while!

Andy's recommendation: BUY - but only if you think that you will use the game often. It is one of those things which you could get and never touch again for the next year, but if you have a lot of social occasions this could be worth the money. However, make sure you are quick on your toes (or maybe your fingers are more appropriate), or you will be shocked at how slow your reactions are!

Summary: Great social game, worth it if you will use it often