We received Scrabble Slam and the Monopoly Card Deck.
The three of us were excited to see more games - VERY! The very night we received them we decided to play. Monopoly sounded the best and we opened it... packaging was alright, but the directions were not very clear. Maybe it was too late of a night, but we decided to just put it back in its little box and go to scrabble slam and haven't touched it since.
As for scrabble slam... it is absolutely awesome! Even my husband - who is a horrible speller and hates spelling games - enjoys this. Not to mention my 6 year old daughter who is just learning to spell loves this! Below I will now go "in depth" as to why, etc.
I will start with what we did not like:
1. Packaging was kind of boring - though i realize there is little to do for just a deck of cards. For such a great game, it was not one I probably would have bothered with buying in the store. Needless to say, we would have really missed out on a fun game.
2. King of hard to get the deck back into the box, but not really overlly so and not really an issue.
3. Could have used more "ways to play". We played and realized with a six year old who cannot hold many cards, that it is just as fun to lay your cards on the table before you (5 of them), draw a new card every turn, and then do the regular rules with the word to change in the middle. Granted, I think we all butted in on each others turn, but it was lots of fun.
4. I do think there should be a rule where cards must be played on the two middle letters too... :)
Here is what we DID like:
1. Plastic deck holder for in the packaging. That was actually pretty nifty and prevents the inevitable cards slipping though the crack.
2. Once again, even though rated 8+ our 6 year old found it pretty easy to play and could easily handle having her own hand without it being time consuming!
3. FUN. I cannot stress this enough. We have played four times since we received it and for at least a half hour a piece. It is a great "while you're waiting" game as well. Perfect for traveling, especially in airports or the car or simply waiting for appointments.
4. Directions were clear and simple.
5. A simple game that even we were able to create a fun "different way to play" by the 3rd time, just to make it easier for a younger child. (Less/no cards to hold)
6. Excellent way for children to learn spelling and increase vocabulary and reading, while having fun!
OVERALL RATING: GREAT! 9-of-10 RATING Despite some boring packaging - in my opinion - it was a fantastic game! I will be letting my friends and family, whom have not played this with us yet, to go out and get it.
FAMILY INTERACTION: We were all really focused on what the next person would come up with, as well as laughing at some of the words that did appear. We laughed, drank hot chocolate and enjoyed being able to just play a "simple game" that did not have so many rules to follow.
