Who remembers the game Operation? I have great memories of playing it as a child - the triumph of tweezing out a tiny plastic ailment and the corresponding agony of setting off that deafening buzzer. When I saw this "silly skill" version of it at the toy store yesterday, I bought it for my kids. The suggested age is 6, so I figured we were close enough. Besides, I was the one who really wanted to try my adult hand on Cavity Sam.
Within one minute of playing, I realized that the memory of this game was far more enjoyable than the reality. Isn't that so often the case? While it does have the potential to develop fine motor skills, it is extremely frustrating for little hands and the sound of the buzzer, with no volume control, is as grating as fingernails on a chalkboard (thank you, Hasbro). Furthermore, this "silly skill game" version, which looks just like the original, is a feeble alternative without the classic charley horse, broken heart or funny bone pieces.
To sum it up, put this on your don't buy list - at least not until your kids are 6 or 7. And make sure when you do buy it, you get the original version that was introduced by Milton Bradley back in the 1960s. I will bring our game out again in a few months, but for now, it is going on the highest shelf (behind Twister Junior and Hungry Hungry Hippos).
Within one minute of playing, I realized that the memory of this game was far more enjoyable than the reality. Isn't that so often the case? While it does have the potential to develop fine motor skills, it is extremely frustrating for little hands and the sound of the buzzer, with no volume control, is as grating as fingernails on a chalkboard (thank you, Hasbro). Furthermore, this "silly skill game" version, which looks just like the original, is a feeble alternative without the classic charley horse, broken heart or funny bone pieces.
To sum it up, put this on your don't buy list - at least not until your kids are 6 or 7. And make sure when you do buy it, you get the original version that was introduced by Milton Bradley back in the 1960s. I will bring our game out again in a few months, but for now, it is going on the highest shelf (behind Twister Junior and Hungry Hungry Hippos).
EAR PLUGS help
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