This is another one of those fun classic family type games that can remain buried in the back of the shed for ages, suddenly be 're-discovered' during a clean-out, and then become very competitive again for the family. And so it was with this Mookie Boules set and my family.

Many years ago, we used to have our own cheap boules set that we bought from a market, which didn't last too long on account of the dogs (then as puppies) having a go at the boules with their 'if it's on the ground, it must be mine, so I'll chew it' mentality. However, last year, when the dogs seemed to have grown up enough to lose their interest in chewing everything, we bought this Mookie Boules Set from Amazon to try and build up our collection of family and team games. At the time, we paid just under £10, although I note nowadays that the price has come down to around £5.

One of the first things that drew us to buying this set, besides the relatively cheap price, was the fact the set comes complete in its own case. So you get the 8 boules and one smaller ball (the jack), all in the one plastic storage case complete with carry handles, meaning you're not going to lose anything as you store it away. The case itself, although a plastic cage like affair, seems to be quite robust and fit for purpose.

The boules themselves come in 4 different colours - red, blue, yellow and green - where you have 2 boules in each colour (8 boules in total). So with 8 boules, you can have up to 4 players. The boules are made of a tough plastic and are filled in order to give them the weight. The idea is that you throw the smaller ball (the jack) a few meters away to create a target in the throw line direction, normally across a level surface, but you often see this game also being played on a sandy beach. Each player then takes turns to throw a coloured boule (underhand preferable) at the jack to try and stop the boule as close to the jack as possible - closest to the jack being the eventual winner.

The throw should be more of a lob rather than a roll along the ground (as you find with conventional bowls), meaning that the boule will pretty much stop where it lands with little forward roll, and that is the skill of the game - trying to get the boule to land and stop as close to the jack as possible. But you also have another competitive angle that can be played out, and that is also trying to knock your opponents boules out of the way as you land yours closest to the jack. So as well as going for the jack, the game also becomes tactical as the players try and gain advantage by knocking each other's boules away.

As I said, this is a classic family game, where the manufacturers recommend it as a game for 3 years old upwards, and I suppose at that age the idea of launching the boule at the jack is a fairly simple one to understand and play. Then as you get older, you can start to understand and play the tactical game trying to knock your opponents out of the way as you launch for the jack. We've also bought this game out at various BBQs we've had, where equally that competitive tactical nature comes through as various people have a go.

Quality wise, the set does seem to be robust (now that my dogs have lost interest in it!) and well made, and as yet, I have not noticed any damage to any of the set, despite fairly extensive use on both grass lawns and sandy beaches. Normally you would find that the more professional boule sets would be made of metal, and hence cost very much more. But in my opinion, this plastic set does come a close second for anyone who just wants to play the casual boule game on a sunny afternoon.

In summary, for a relatively cheap cost, this is a well made classic family game that is easy to play, and provides enough of a competitive edge to keep everyone's interest, including the youngsters, for a long while. But there is also more to this game than just throwing the boules at the jack, where you can also start to play and master the tactical level to gain the upper hand.

So for a fun classic game for all the family, this Mookie Boules Set comes highly recommended.

Review also on Ciao under Randal1.