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ZATU Awesomeness – Lockdown Relief – Games Galore!
At the start of the lockdown period I was very fortunate to win the biggest ever bundle of games from ZATU (The Sport Relief Competition).
An amazing prize and a massive thank you to all the people at ZATU for providing such an awesome competition. I still can’t believe I won!
This post is covering all the games we have played so far from our lucky prize win. We cannot wait to get started on the rest.
Tough Times – A prize which has helped so much in bringing us closer together
Like everyone, I am worried about these unusual, scary and alien times we find ourselves in. Covid 19 is a game of Pandemic I’d like to end now please!
Luckily I and my wife are in a fortunate position where we can work from home and relatively our jobs (fingers crossed) are safe. However the big worry we faced was how to entertain and home-school our children.
We have a 3 and 6 year old. The days are tough enough for both of them. Schoolwork for our eldest is important and necessary but it is not fair that it should take up the whole day. After all he is only 6!
I have stressed before the importance of gaming from both a fun and educational/learning stance, also it helps in making sure that the Telly doesn’t control their lives! This is an extremely difficult challenge in Lockdown!!
Winning this competition helped us so much, providing hours of fun entertainment for both of our kids, not to mention me and my wife also, when we finally get the kids to bed and can get through some of the board games ourselves, If not too exhausted!
This post is to say a big thank you to ZATU and talk over some of the games we have managed to get through in this period.
Here we go - We Tore the Box open!
The timing couldn’t have been any better, the first official day of lockdown, a parcel the size of a small house arrived at the door, with that lovely ZATU tape all over it!
Videos and Pics were taken sent to ZATU and posted on Social Network, the joy on not just the kids’ faces but mine too were as wide as the eye could see! The initial look of worry on my wife’s face was am sure down to the fact she was thinking, where we were going to store all the new games….. A great problem to have I must say.
After initially explaining quite comically that Scrawl wasn’t really a fun game to Charlotte my youngest (See Pic), yellow is her fav colour!!! That one was just for Mummy and Daddy ha ha! We moved on (Awkward conversation avoided for at least a few more years)
They quickly hunted out and loved the look of Bugs in the Kitchen! A game with a simple concept that certainly impressed and provided hours of fun instantly. A maze, a cool Nano bug which we upgraded to 2 Nano bugs as Tyler my eldest had one (Made his first expansion already) and laughs a plenty for the whole Family.
Don’t let the simplicity of this game put you off, I highly recommend for kids and adults alike. Work took a bit of a backwards step for me and the wife that day.
Next Up – Forbidden Island (A modern Classic)
A game I already have in my collection so a family friend benefitted from this part of the prize. All I can say is we love it, people forget this is from the creator of Pandemic Matt Lucas and this game never fails to disappoint.
The best part of this is that my friend is new to gaming and he has enjoyed this so much he has since purchased Forbidden Desert too!
This looks interesting…… Traffic Rush
As day one came to a close, the kids knackered, the wife and I cracked this little beauty open, and we were hooked from the start. Play alone or together (Teams or 1 on 1) this is a great strategy game.
It looks very simple but don’t let this fool you this is a very fun complex game. Still lots of scenarios to get through, replayability through the roof!
Best part – Can be easily used on non – gamers, to get them hooked into the hobby.
More Isolation – More Family Fun – OK Play
It’s easy to see why this game has won so many awards, you literally only have to play it for 1 minute to agree.
This is the perfect game for our family in this time we can play a quick 5 minute game or play dozens continuously depending on our mood or the time of the day.
Its easy clip and go usability also means we can play it anywhere we want, with the great weather we have had this was very useful in getting the game into our garden.
Out of all the games received, this has the one that has been played consistently again and again. A perfect Family game for us in Isolation and beyond.
Funny Zombies – Does such a thing exist? Play Zombie Kidz to find out
Visually fun and a no brainer (No pun intended) – As soon as our Son saw this, he asked everyday if we could play it. Eventually I gave in and said yes. The rule was that we would play it when he’s little sister had gone to bed. We needn’t worry as she loved the game too!
Laughs and suspense a plenty with this little gem. Simple rules to get you started right away. A story mode with exciting stickers and envelopes to open. A slight Legacy feel too.
Another cracking game that I would have easily passed up in normal circumstances – We might be in Lockdown but we certainly let the Zombies in!
What Came First – Well not this game, but we certainly had a laugh with it
I and the wife really enjoyed cracking this one open over the last bank holiday weekend. Lots of cards available, so good replayability and some tricky, surprising and fun options when it came to the content of the game.
We have since managed to play numerous games over Zoom calls with our family and friends.
Overall a good light hearted party game from Big Potato Games.
Time for a Family Classic – New to the little ones – A maze full of Treasure – It has to be Labyrinth
Classic, Need I say more, Treasure and adventure. What kid or big kid doesn’t love this game!! One lost in my collection which has now returned! Thank you again ZATU.
Save the Best till Last – Disney Time
Disney Colour Brain – If you have kids – Get this game!! If you don’t have Kids – Get this Game!! It’s as simple as that! Nostalgia and fun throughout!
Villainous – Wow! I had heard of this game, but not something I would have played if not for this competition win. How wrong I was.
This Game is Fantastic, myself and my wife have played it the most out of all the games in the lockdown period. This one I would say is a bit too complex for the kids at the moment. However the wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting this one to the table time and time again when the kids have gone to bed.
I cannot recommend this game enough and that’s even when I lose! We are now considering the expansions.
That is where we are at so far with this amazing prize. I cannot thank the crew at ZATU enough, this has been the greatest thing possible in such hard times. We as a family have certainly benefitted and become closer because of it.
I cannot wait to keep cracking through this amazing prize, in particular, Evolution Climate, I am eagerly awaiting the moment we get to crack open this beautiful game and bring it to the table.
Stay Safe Everyone – and play more games!