Green Board Games Brainbox Horrible Science Blood and Guts

This is a fun, but flawed, game.

Based on the Horrible Science series of books and produced by the Green Board Game Company, "Brain Box: Horrible Science Blood & Guts" is a beautifully produced game, aimed at age eight and upwards. The colourful, quite sturdy box has magnetic clasps to keep it closed, and comes with 54 information cards, 1 rule card, a ten-second timer and an eight-sided die. Quite helpfully, there's also a scheme on the game's website that you can sign up for that replaces lost pieces for as long as the game remains in production.

Game play is straightforward, with rules for one player and two or more players provided. Each player selects a card at random from the box, studies it for ten seconds, then rolls the die to see which question they have to answer about the card. If you answer correctly, you keep the card; if not, it goes back in the box. Rules adaptations are also given for younger players, as the ten second time limit is quite a challenge, even for adults. Ten minutes is suggested as the ideal game length, and with two players it was certainly more than enough. Whoever has the most cards at the end of the set time period, wins.

However, this game is not perfect. I really wanted to be able to give it full marks because the idea is an excellent one, but Green Board Game's fact checkers haven't done their job properly. Seven out of the 54 cards contain spelling mistakes (alvioli instead of alveoli, although it is spelled correctly on another card) or factual errors (animal cells do not have a cell wall - a mistake which appears on two separate cards - and the male genotype is never written as YX). Children are also expected to be able to remember the chemical name for ear-wax, but the bronchioles in the lungs are referred to only as "breathing-tubes."

I can see this game working best with 4-5 players of mixed ages, although the complexity and quantity of information on some of the cards will make them tricky for younger players to deal with. This has obviously been done to ensure adults are faced with some degree of challenge as well and, apart from the few cases like the one mentioned above, it's a successful strategy. The fact that the questions are not purely science-based, with many requiring careful observation, will also help to get round the occasional complexity issue.

We weren't too sure what to expect, based on other reviews. In the end, we enjoyed playing the game, despite the errors pointed out by others. It's of good quality and attractively packaged. And it IS educational, errors and all - well, I certainly learned a lot! There are some laughs to be had too. We particularly liked the ability to complete a game in 10 minutes. You can easily start another, if you have time and inclination. It makes a reasonable family game, working quite well for mixed ages and abilities, but is best played among those of a similar age group.

I can't see this being first choice, when it's time for board games, but it will be ideal when we don't have much time or can't be bothered with anything too complicated or messing about with pencil & paper.

Clearly, Green Board Games should fix the mistakes and send corrected cards to owners of the game - you can sign up on their website, so it shouldn't be beyond them. If they did that, I'd add a star or maybe two to "educational value" but, even as it is, I'd recommend the game if it sounds like the sort of thing that would appeal to your family or friends.

The name and branding on this may make you think twice as to the nature of this game, but rest assured it's also educational.

Each player chooses a card from the cube, reads it, then a roll of the dice decides the question they answer. Correct answers mean the card is kept, otherwise it is put back in to the box. Total game time can be adjusted for the number of players but in general for 2 people 10 minutes is about right. Whoever has the most cards after that period is the winner.

The beauty of this game is that it is educational for children all the while being fun and inexpensive. It scales up quite nicely and works well with three or four people too. Thoroughly enjoyable.