Drop it like a Hot Potato! (Paul Lamond Hot Potato)

Member Name: i_am_joy

Product:	Paul Lamond Hot Potato
Date:	06/03/09 (88 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A fun game, gets the children active

Disadvantages: I think this is overly priced, although it does have fun value

Hot Potato was a strange gift my granddaughter was given for Christmas, I've never seen anything like it but apparently it's a twist on the traditional Pass-the-Parcel party game. The difference is that whereas you want to be holding the parcel, you want to be rid of the Hot Potato as soon as possible as you lose if you're holding him when the music stops.

The Hot Potato is a lovely looking toy, shaped like a potato with a cheerful cartoon face he definitely appeals to children and adults alike. In essence it's a cuddly toy with soft padding and a soft outer cover, inside is a small box similar to those you find in talking teddies and dolls. When you decide to play Hot Potato you need to give him a squeeze, he'll shout 'Hot Potato' and then play a happy and quite intense tune during which you need to pass him around the circle of players. The person who is holding the Hot Potato when the bouncing noise signals the end of the music has to pick up a potato chip card, the person who reaches three potato chips first is the loser and their cards go back into the pile so everyone else can carry on.

I love this game, it's one which makes everyone giggle as we frantically pass the potato to one another. The music is fast paced and gets quicker which adds to the tension of when it's going to stop, luckily the potato is well padded as my nine year old granddaughter in particular gets particularly rough during the game and I think she could well have caused a black eye by now if the toy was any harder! No-one really cares if they lose as the game goes on so quickly that its soon time to rejoin, and sometimes it's fun to watch this game instead of playing as everyone laughs so much that it's lovely to see.

Hot Potato comes with a detailed instruction leaflet on how to play the game, it's not rocket science though so you shouldn't need more than a cursory glance at these. We knew the game straight away and if you just think of it as a reverse Pass-the-Parcel then you'll pick it up immediately. It's suitable for everyone and my granddaughters' have had many people of many different ages playing when they visit my house, the most comical one being my 75 year old cousin playing against my two granddaughters and 18 year old nephew - dear old George held his own but if he'd realised what he looked like I think he'd have been mortified!

Even though she can't play the game properly, my 20 month old granddaughter loves the Hot Potato. She chuckles and laughs when he shouts out at the beginning and dances away to the music, we let her play with us but she never wants to pass on the potato so the game somewhat comes to a standstill when she's involved.

I've only seen Hot Potato at www.hawkin.com where it's priced at £9.99, I was a little surprised when I saw it cost this much as I'd assumed it would have been around £5 but I suppose with games like this you're paying for the novelty factor.

Summary: A fun game for all the family, a definite Christmas present hit.