| Product: |
Chad Valley Shark Bite |
| Date: |
25.02.08 (96 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Quick, simple game yet loads of fun.
Disadvantages: Bands were a little tight to begin with
I brought this for my son as a little stocking filler (even though it is much bigger than would fit in a stocking!!) because it was on offer in Woolworths for half price at £4.99. They are currently selling it for £6.29 and even at this slightly higher price I would snap it up as it is a really good game that you can play with your children.
You basically get a shark body, two shark fins, a shark lower jaw and all the items that the shark has swallowed, along with two long fishing hooks in the box. You have to put the shark together before you can start playing but this is certainly no hardship and is simply a case of slotting the fins in either side of the shark's body. You also have to attach the lower jaw via two elastic bands clipped to the jaw and then stretched onto hooks inside the body, which mean the lower jaw can open and close on a spring basis. This is a little fiddly and you will need the fishing hook to help you reach inside, but certainly not too difficult. This is all the assembly needed and would take no more than a few minutes.
The aim of the game is to load the shark's mouth (lower jaw flap) with all the items of paraphernalia and then hook them out one at a time taking it in turns. The player who makes the shark's mouth snap shut while they are picking their item is the loser.
This is such a simple game, following on in the Buckaroo genre. My son was completely bored with Buckaroo though as the donkey never seemed to remain standing too long and would always buck before we had even finished loading the saddle on! The shark was a much preferred animal as well, the ferocity appealing to the mind of a six year old far more than a docile donkey chewing a piece of straw. And in fact he has played with this shark as a shark toy in addition to the actual game it was intended for so it does have diversity on its side too.
I have played countless games of this now since Christmas and the fun of it has not worn off yet. It takes roughly two or three minutes for a game to be finished so it is quick and easy to play several games in between something else. The fact that each game is so short is great for little minds who get bored waiting for their turn. My daughter watches as I play with my son, and she doesn't get the chance to get impatient and moan about wanting her turn which is wonderful. You could play with more than two players, swapping the hooks around, but it is more exciting with only two, as you get to have a turn quicker and you can retrieve more pieces each time.
It is extremely easy to set up as well. We keep the fins in the shark sides all the time, as these are what supports the body in 45 degree angle and it still fits more or less into the box with the fins on. So all that is needed when you want to play, is to chuck all the pieces inside the shark's mouth. Then I hold the mouth closed and tip up the shark so it all falls into his mouth area. Slowly I stand him up and let the mouth fall open, allowing all the pieces to be balanced on the lower jaw, ready for retrieval. My children find this a little difficult to do but my son is starting to get the hang of it, so they can play it themselves without needing me sometimes as well.
We have found that we can use a lot of the pieces from our Buckaroo set in this toy as well, which for us is great, as the smaller pieces do often get lost and as our Buckaroo was broken we have added all those pieces to this game meaning we should stay well loaded for a while yet.
I love the simplicity of Shark Bite and the fun it creates with my kids. My daughter especially loves it when I lose although she seems to accept it pretty well when I don't too. However, for a four year old and a six year old (my kid's ages) it is an excellent way to help fine motor skills as they have to be exceptionally gentle at times and angle the hook into some funny positions to allow for a good grasp on the item they want to pull from the shark's mouth. A steady hand is required at times too so control over what they doing is well practiced.
For £4.99 I think this may be one of the most played games we brought this Christmas and is something I will be happy to replace if it ever gets broken. The only small issue we had when it was new was that the elastic bands used to make the jaw spring shut as the weight is offloaded, were a bit too tight in the beginning. We found the jaw sprang shut after only one or two items had been removed. However after a couple of weeks of continuous playing we found they had stretched enough to allow the game to last longer. We now expect to retrieve around five or six pieces each before the mouth snaps shut. Obviously if the bands ever snap they could be easily replaced as they are simple elastic bands you could purchase in any stationary shop.
Overall, my children and I love this game. It is played frequently and is easy to set up and put away - a bonus on the tidying up front. We actually store everything inside the shark's tummy helping to keep it all together. The length of the game is perfect for keeping it interesting and for the age of my children, when the excitement is in the build up and snap of the jaws.
I would recommend this as a toy for your children to keep but also if they have been invited to a party it makes a perfect, not too expensive, present for another child.
Summary: RECOMMENDED xx
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