"Game of quick draw!" (Pictionary)

Member Name: oliver18

Product:	Pictionary
Date:	11/12/00 (253 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great fun with friends+family

Disadvantages: Some impossible word cards!

Pictionary as got to be one of my favourite board games of all time, and now that christmas is coming the board games all come out, so I'm going to get to play it a lot more.

Contents:
*Gameboard
*One minute timer
*500 word cards
*1 Die
*4 playing pieces
*Pads and pencils

Pictionary is a fantasitic game which can be played by 3 to 16 players, the more the better in my opinion. I wouldn't advise playing with 3 people as it is a bit boring, 4's great though!

The players get into their teams, up to 4 teams can play at once, 2 teams is fine. Every team has a pad, pencil, category card and also a playing piece. All playing pieces are placed on the start square.

The object of the game is to be the first team to reach the final square on the gameboard and answer their word card correctly. Sounds simple? Well it's not that easy! I have noticed that this game can be played for at least an hour before someone wins, I think this is a highlight of the game.

Each square on the game board has it's own category, these being:
(P):Person/Place/Animal e.g) Werewolf
(O):Object e.g) Piano
(A):Action e.g) Grin
(D):Difficult e.g) Length
(AP):All Play e.g)Any of the above

How the game starts:
Every team roles the dice, then the highest number goes first. Before you get to roll the dice you must answer a word card for the square which you start on(P). You have 1 minute on the timer to do this. One person on the team draws(This person alternates every turn) and the other players on their team guess what it is. You CAN NOT draw numbers, letters or symbols!! The team can have as many guesses as they please beofre the time runs out.

IF THEY GUESS RIGHT: Then they roll the dice again and land on another square and continue as before.

IF THEY RUN OUT OF TIME: Then play is passed to the next team on the left, but that team does not roll the dice, they must fi
rst answer a game card for the square they are occupying.

This is how the game works...

BUT..To make the game more interesting theere is also an All Play category. This can either be landed on whilst on the game board OR some categories have a '>' symbol next to them. Either way, the team in control of the dice now as some competition. All the other teams must try to draw the same word, and the team to guess it first wins control of the dice.
(Sorry if that sounds complicating, don't worry, in thoery it's not that difficult to understand).

Before the game, I have found it useful if you discuss how strict you are going to be with the answers given, for instance is "bunk" acceptable for "bunk bed"? "Thatcher" for "Margaret Thatcher"? Sort this out prior to gaming or their might be rows!You have been warned!!

Some of the words are just inpossible to draw, such as FIX, ELOPE, OXYGEN, UP and SURVEY! In previous games I've sat their for the full minute totally puzzled!

I'd recommend this game to everyone, although it is difficult for younger kids(Under 12), but there is a junior pictionary availiable.

I hope this review/opinion isn't too long!Have fun!

Summary: