Swingball is an all-time classic garden game, one that kept me and my sister entertained for years of our childhood!

**The game itself**

The tether/string attached to the ball starts off in the middle of the swingball 'spiral' (this can be seen at the image of the product, the spiral-like attachment at the top of the pole!) Two players take part, each with a bat of their own. One player hits the ball clockwise, while the other player aims to hit it anti-clockwise. The winner will manage to get the ball at the desired top or end of the spiral before the other! You do this by simply hitting the ball in a circular motion around the pole, every time the opposition misses a shot, the ball spin round going up a level on the spiral. You continue this until the ball reaches top/bottom to win!
A good idea to add to play games best out of 3. Sometimes the games can go quite quickly depending on the player's capability.

Set up is easy enough, except it's probably easier getting someone like your dad involved. The pole comes in four sections, one of these which has a spike at the bottom. This enables you to hammer it into a patch of grass, which makes it secure from falling over.

**Advantages**

It is suited for any ages, from toddlers to oldies!! I remember we managed to get my grandma involved somehow once! As well as playing it's also funny watching others and egging them on. You could create a swingball competition and create , the winner winning some sweets, or for the adults among us, every looser has to down their drink. Just a thought. You don't have to just play in your garden either, it's a good addition to take to the beach, although it would be a bit heavy to carry.

It's also height adjustable, so as I said, definitely suitable for various ages.

The bats included in the set are pretty durable and will withstand quite a lot of hitting! They never failed us throughout the years we had one, and are definitely longlasting.

**Disadvantages**

In our garden there are a number of hidden stones in our garden, underneath the grass. This means it takes a number of times to find a right spot for the spike to be hammered into. It's fine when you find it eventually though. Another obvious point is that is leaves quite a nasty hole in your garden. This is unavoidable with this version of swingball, and garden lovers might find this game a bit of a burden.

You will have to get something similar to a mallet for it to be secure at its best. We just got an old one out of our garage which was simple. It would be better if the swingball set included something like this, but unfortunately you'll have to purchase it yourself or improvise with something different.

The red checkerbats that you get with the set are perhaps a little bit heavy for small children. There is an age recommendation of 5 years + which needs to be stuck to because the bats are too heavy otherwise.

**Other versions**

Avoiding the problem of a huge hole in your grass, you can buy an all-surface swingball which has a box at the bottom of the pole filled with water. Of course, this is a lot less sturdy however. It is a lot easier to fall over! This wouldn't happen if children were playing, but it wouldn't be suitable for adults who perhaps a bit more of the ambitious types.

**Cost**
I honestly can't remember how much we bought the swingball for at the time because it quite a few years ago. However, I have done some research to come up with the best prices:

Amazon- £16.99
Argos- £16.99
Tescos- £25

**Overall rating**
This is a classic fun family game that won't get boring. It's competitive and lets you socialise! It'll make it even more exciting if you add a prize at the end of it such as a big packet of sweets. Suitable for adults and kids alike, I wouldn't mind playing it now even though it was years ago I was introduced.
I give an overall rating of 4.5/5, only because of the small disadvantages listed above.
Thanks for reading, hope it's been helpful, please rate!