Are You Commercial? Logo Party by @SpinMasterGames Review

**** I received the following game from Spin Master Games, in exchange for my honest opinions. No further compensation was provided. All photos below are copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2013.

Momma Told Me: Quit the mime impression and just say it already!

Growing up I was always fascinated by 'adult' games. The men in our family would always gather to play 'cards' during reunions and holiday events, and sooner or later the women in their lives would coax them into a drunken game of Charades or Trivial Pursuit. Charades was always my favorite. Though I was too young to play, I'd sit on my grandma's staircase, legs danging through the posts, and stifle giggles as the revered adults in my life made a mockery of themselves. Half the time I didn't understand what was going on, but the shouting and wide arm movements never lost my interest. Of course, the next day, once we were back at home again, I'd pester Momma to play a game of charades with me, and she'd remark that I was 'too young'. Naturally this gave way to a puffy, angry, red face, and a series of wild impersonations and mime like displays on my part. I was determined to prove her wrong, but she never gave in.

The concept of charades is a classic one that has been molded into a series of games through time. Unfortunately, this style of game is most successful when played in groups, and can even develop crucial communication and teamwork skills. When Spin Master sent us one of their hottest Fall 2013 games, Logo Party, Sabrina (11) was immediately excited by the concept of 'acting.' However, Logo Party, as the name indicates, is intended to be played in groups of 2 or more (4 player minimum). So, until we could get our next block party game night going, I agreed to be the official 'guesser' and allow Jay and Sabrina to draw, describe, and act out the various logos for me.

The premise of the game is very simple. There is a basic game board with alternating colors from Start to Finish. Each player moves one spot at a time, so every player will be expected to touch each space on the board during the game. Players take turn drawing a card from the deck and locate the Logo that matched the color board space they are currently on. The alternate side of the card will advise whether the player has to act, describe, or draw the logo. Players describing may not spell words or sing jingles or songs, and players acting may not use props or point to objects in the room. If a player correctly acts/describes/draws their logo they get to advance one space on the board. There is a provided timer, which we found to be the game's only hiccup as it can be a bit stiff to use, which determines the length of time each player will have to complete their action.

There is a fourth card category, Reveal, which brings in a unique interactive aspect to the game. Remember that timer I say was a bit 'stiff,' that's because it doubles as a card revealer for this portion of the game. Simply pull the timer top all the way up and slide the reveal card along the guides on the back. Then set the timer off and it will slowly push up the reveal card over the edge of the timer to reveal a photo logo. Surprisingly, this proved to be one of the tougher commands in the game. While players could easily recognize the logo in their head they seemed to have a harder time putting the words together than if it were being described or drawn.

In all, we had a blast playing Logo Party, and enjoyed it's simple set up to quick play. Many of the logos were above Sabrina's (11) years, though, and we found we had to give a few hints here and there to get her started. However, the logos she instantly knew created some true magical moments- including a burger drawing followed by a crown (Burger King), and a shrimp like lobster for Red Lobster. Jay also drew the above bowl of cereal and a slightly mutated 'toucan' for Fruit Loops, as well as the 'Gold Soap' bar for Dial. Logo Party would be an excellent office party game, or holiday gathering game to bring participants of all ages together. There certainly are some logos in there some of the older adults might not recognize, where the younger kids could really help out! Logo Party is sold online at fine retailers such as Amazon, and in stores nationwide at Walmart, ToysRUs, and Target.

What Daughter Says: Practice your acting, and put your advertising knowledge to good use with Logo Party.