Now the warmer weather is here and the summer holidays beckon, it's a good idea to stock up on games that you can play at home and on holiday.
Faced with a week's camping in a field with five children and the promise of sun, the Garden Noughts and Crosses set was one game that made it into the car's roof box.
Space is so tight in the car when we go camping (despite having a trailer too) that anything we take has to earn it's keep, so the question is: did the game keep the children entertained?I was a bit sceptical about taking the game, which came in a cardboard box. It consisted of orange and black foam tiles which slotted together easily and giant foam noughts and crosses.
Although it is fun playing giant versions of these traditional games, I wondered if a pen and a piece of paper wouldn't do just as well. Of course, the old fashioned way of playing would have been OK but it was more fun playing the large version.
We are in the realms of playing this game a lot with our five-year-old and she was the one who probably delighted the most in this version. It seemed to help her to physically see and place the circles and she did beat me a couple of times.
It also had the advantage of being able to be played inside the tent if the weather turned foul, something thankfully we didn't need to put to the test.
My only gripe was it wasn't a particularly challenging game and probably best suited to young children. I also thought it would have been better if it came in a see-through bag with handles; I can see the cardboard box getting wrecked easily.
All in all, it kept most of the children amused and it was lovely to play an easy game with the younger members of the family.
Garden Noughts and Crosses is priced at £14.99 from BrightMinds.
ParentView rating: 3.5/5