Winner of the Daily Telegraph Game of the Year

"LIVE ON A KNIFE EDGE AS THE INFERNAL BOMB TICKS AWAY. NERVES ARE TESTED TO THE LIMIT AS THEY STRUGGLE TO FIND A SUITABLE WORD AND PASS THE B….Y THING BEFORE IT GOES OFF"

No, it's a board game, it so cannot be that scary…or can it?

THE BOMB BOX
This comes in a hard box with the PASS THE BOMB logo, with the bomb charmingly shown in the "O" of the writing and a warning that it is "The Explosive Game That Will Blow Your Mind).
Recommended for age 12 years up and for any number of players

INSIDE…
A bomb. I was expecting this since it's called Pass The Bomb. It's realistic enough, if the bombs I've seen on films are anything to go by…black, tennis ball size, with a fuse for extra authenticity. The button to start that terrifying random timer is red so you can't miss it and is at the bottom of the bomb
Letter cards-110 of them with combinations of 2, 3 and 4 letters
The die has 3 faces; on one face is TICK…TACK which means that you can use the letters anywhere in the word, TICK… meaning letters cannot be used at the beginning of the word, picture of the BOMB meaning that you can't use the letters at the end of the word


HOW TO PLAY
This is the bit about new games I find tricky, and usually start playing it with hubby and instructions to hand, because merely reading the instructions "cold" confuses me…not overly difficult at the moment. This game was no exception; instructions need to be read while playing the game.
The aim of the game is to win (obviously) by making words which include the letters printed on the card; this has to be done before the bomb goes off.
So…how to play it…
1. Shuffle the cards and put 13 into a pile and the others to one side
2. First player rolls the die. This decides where the combinations of letters can be used
3. Set the timer going …. Remember it can go off at any time… turn over the first card, which will show you the letters which must be used before the bomb explodes
4. Say a word with that combination of letters in the place allowed as shown by the die, and get rid of that bomb!
5. Play continues until the bomb goes off.
6. The player who has the bomb when it goes off keeps the card as a penalty, and starts the next round by rolling the die and starting that bomb again
7. The game continues until all 13 cards have been used and the winner is he or she with the fewest cards.
WORDS ALLOWED
Anything commonly used; obviously dictionary words, but also (kindly so), proper and brand names, colloquial words, and foreign words in common use
You cannot use a word twice in a round, so listen out for what everyone says…when the going gets tough and the tension is high, repeated words are a common occurrence
The words printed on the cards must be used in that sequence shown and must be made into a larger word eg INT could be interesting, interview, plinth, stint; there are other examples, but words allowed would be decided by the throw of the die.

THE EXTRA BITS…
A player's turn is finished when they have said a suitable word and passed the bomb
Words can be challenged as being unacceptable; in the case of an argument, all players vote

SAFETY
Well, there is a bomb in the house.
A plastic tab is inside the battery compartment in the base of the bomb to stop the batteries oxydising. Pull out the tab before use.

BATTERIES
Use 1.5v battery, like the one supplied with the game, and remove battery when exhausted

MADE BY…
Gibson and Sons Ltd (1996)
London
SW19 2RB

HIT OR MISS
With all that information, rules etc, what did/do we think of it? Quite simply, buy it! If you enjoy games and have like minded friends, it's a must. It's easy to set up and to pick up the rules, and there are very few fiddly bits and pieces, which we would normally lose anyway!
The game usually starts off quite pleasantly, but as the bomb ticks away, your palms are sweating as you frantically try to think of an appropriate word before the bomb goes off. Grinning manically at you are the other players because thankfully, the bomb is not in their hands…ah!!! But it soon will be. The pressure mounts as the bomb is passed round, until it finally goes off in some unfortunates hands; at this point, the other players smugly shout out words which COULD have been used. Thanks, that was NO help at the time! Then roll the dice again, turn over a card, start the timer and away you go again. Your mind goes blank, and the only sound in the room is that ticking and the giggling of the other players when they realise that you cannot think of a word again. The bomb holder is usually the one to be found wriggling around on their seat, muttering to themselves and pulling strange gold fish faces as though this alone will bring the word to mind and so save them. The fact that the timer is random adds that extra nerve inducing level…will you have 10 or 60 seconds?
We have played it with 3 people and the largest number of people is 10.
Great fun whatever the number, but I don't know which is worse…3 the bomb comes back to you too quickly…10 and all the words have gone before it gets to you.
A fab game for adults and older children, although I have noticed that there is a Junior one.
Well worth the money- about £15 has got to be good for the entertainment value…and the intellectual stimulation.

Thanks for reading.
Daniela