Clock it! is a new game from Ideal Games this year that is fast paced and fun for all the family. Aimed at ages 8+, although I think slightly younger could easily join in if they are keen, this is actually a game that is fun for all ages the family.  It’s basically a guessing game in which players have to guess what one player is either describing, drawing or miming – but remember you are against the clock – how many can you guess before the alarm sounds?

The game consists of:

• 1 Clock It! light up alarm clock (this does require 3 AAA batteries)
• 1 key
• 80 double sided challenge cards
• Clock It clock shaped board
• 1 wipe clean drawing board
• 1 wipe board pen

The first job is to put the batteries in the clock which does require a screwdriver, don’t they all these days!  And you obviously need to have the batteries but if you are a family household like mine, we have a permanent stash for any toy or gadget that enters the house and requires batteries.

The Clock it! clock although looks a little basic at first, is actually what adds all the fun to the game and is quite clever in the way that it works.  You can select various modes on the back using the key, either just drawing, just describing, just miming or a combo of all three.

You control it by pressing on the yellow handle at the top and the relevant action and number light up.

Onto the game play for Clock it! of which there are number of variants depending on how many players you have and whether you want to mime, draw, describe or do a combo of all three.

Decide on a number of rounds you wish to play and see which team or individual wins the most.  Firstly you need to set the cards out around the clock it board.  The cards are double sided, one side with a word of an item, the other with a picture of an item.  You can either stick to one or do a mix of both.  Then place twelve cards around the clock, one by each number.

One player is picked to be the first describer and they take control of the clock and need to hide the front from the other players so they don’t see what number the describer is performing.  A top tip in the instructions is that the describer and the people guessing are sat at opposite sides of the table – we found this worked really well!

Once you’ve guessed correctly, you take that card away from the clock and the describer presses the handle down to give them another number to describe.  Play continues until you have either guessed all twelve cards or the alarm bells sound so the quicker you are the more cards you can collect.

The timer clock with it’s ticking sounds and alarm bells really add excitement and fun to the game, keeping everyone on their toes during play.  Once the round has ended you move onto another player or team to be the describer until your desired amount of rounds has ended when you can declare the ultimate winner!

Our pro’s for the Clock it! game:

• If you like charades style games then this is perfect for you whether you are acting, drawing or describing
• The alarm clock adds so much excitement and tension to the game and keeps everyone on their toes.
• The bright coloured cards are eye catching and engaging and with 160 different objects you rarely see a repeat within a round of games
• There are many variants of the game to keep interest and change up the way you play
• It’s a game for all ages and can be played with just 2-3 people or 2 larger teams
• Perfect for Christmas, parties or just all round family weekend fun

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.