Movie fans should give the Scene It? DVD games a try. Our family got the 2nd edition of Harry Potter Scene It? for Christmas. The game can be played with two to four players, or in teams. We divided up into three teams, my husband and one nine year old were one team, our other nine year old and I were another team, and our fourteen year old was on his own. He skunked us all. I’ve heard that kids can trounce adults in the Disney version, too!
You do need a DVD player to play the game. An on screen demonstration of how to play is provided. Players can unfold the board to its full extension for longer games or fold it into a circle for a shorter playtime. Players roll a regular numbered die and a category die on each turn. They move the number of spaces shown on the die and attempts to answer the type of question shown on the category die.
“My Play” challenges involve watching a short scene on the DVD and answering a question regarding the scene. “All Play” also involves a DVD scene but all players can answer. These “All Plays” may be questions about characters, they may show a character slowly forming on the screen, or they may have a name or place that players guess as the letters slowly get filled in.
There are also Question Card Challenges that involve things at Hogwarts, things in the Wizarding World and Muggles. Readers of the books should be aware that the questions concern the movies, not the books. Some events were changed in the filming. Can you remember what movie showed Ron getting bit by a dog, or what Mrs. Weasley is holding as she runs alongside the train in The Prisoner of Azkaban,or who takes Harry to the Ministry for his trial? The Muggles questions were the hardest for us. Most of them were about what other movies the Harry Potter actors had been in. Occasionally players land on a House Point space. The corresponding cards make players move back or forward or cause lost turns.
There’s also a “Party Play” mode where the DVD shows one puzzle clip after another. We enjoyed this mode, but found it slow in switching questions.
The Scene It? games are fun for mixed ages. The manufacturer recommends the Harry Potter one for ages eight and up. I would like to try some of the other ones, too.
Also See:
Apples to Apples – Game Review