Carnival Games

I'm not what you'd call an experienced gamer. Rambling adventures leave me baffled, blasting everyone to bits (including myself) is brain numbing. Hence I bought a Wii for Xmas - something we, the family, could spend time playing happily together on those rainy afternoons. The thing is, with Wii games costing as much as £39 a go, it can prove a costly mistake to buy a game that nobody wants to play, as it's too hard/too easy/boring. I saw Carnival Games in a local supermarket. It cost me £20 so I didn't expect it too be anything too great, but maybe fun for the kids. Basically you wander around an old fashioned funfair/carnival playing at the stalls and games that you would find at the visiting fair! For example you can toss rings on a bottle, lucky cups, shooting gallery, basketball in the hoop, day at the races and many others. In true carnival style you win a couple of tickets and a small prize for doing ok. Do better and you win up to 10 tickets and a large prize. And just as you do at the fair, you trade up your small prizes to get medium, then large etc. In total there are over 25 games to suit everybody. Handling of the remote is pretty accurate, but you do need some arm stamina on certain games!! Test your strength, for example, requires you to rotate your arm to build up the power to hit the bell (something my 6 year old is good at, while I'm not)! Others, such as the shooting gallery requires precision in aiming - not TOO precise as your aim guide is pretty large. Tossing the rings requires you to use the remote as though you are holding the ring in your hand! Others such as basketball require overhead throws, while lucky cups requires an underarm throw. I can honestly say that between me, my partner and my 6 and 11 year old girls, there is no-one who is good at everything. You all have your own niches which makes it such good fun. You have the option of entering the fair on your own and trying to trade prizes and boost your tickets alone or you can play up to 4 players on a head-to-head challenge, which is the best out of five games, or even a full on competition! Tickets you collect can be used to buy items on your personalised page (you make up your own character, a bit like a Mii, but you cannot use your Mii) and then purchase things such as hats, shoes, costumes and other odd items, such as a tail (!). There are also games you can unlock, and items to unlock too, by randomly sending a stray bullet to the picture hanging on the wall!! So it seems it doesn't matter HOW good your aim is after all! All I can say is that it's a great family game that I'd say children 5 and over would enjoy. It's not for serious gamers who like a challenge, but is certainly the addictive game that you find yourself playing at 1am in the morning! Best of all you can get it now for £14! Bargain!!