Matthew BaileyRelatively quick one today, and what more suitable game to be reviewing during our Easter Egg-stravaganza than the wonderfully Christmas-themed Gremlins Holiday Havoc.
Before we start, I should say that I bought this at The Entertainer for £1.99, and as far as I’m aware, it’s still fairly widely available there for the same price. I thought, why not give it a go, largely because Henry, after being given a Gizmo Fuggler, has become obsessed with Gremlins. To the point where we hesitantly decided to let them watch it, with me checking first to make sure it was vaguely appropriate, and all of the boys now absolutely love it.
The game is relatively simple. It’s essentially Snap with a sort of Top Trumps twist and a few extras. You spread the cards equally amongst all players, and one by one you lay cards down onto the table. If two matching Gremlins appear, the first player, or players, to slap their hands down on both piles with the matching Gremlins take those piles into their hand. It is actually possible for one player to get one pile and another player to get the other. I really like this because it means there’s some leeway for reaction times, which is beneficial when playing this sort of thing with kids.
There are a few other cards as well. If you get a fountain card, that player lays three cards down, which is obviously quite negative because you’re trying to get as many cards in your hand as possible. If you flip a Gizmo card, the first player to slap any other location takes all the cards at that location, and this can be done by multiple players depending on how many piles there are. It’s a good way to reset the game. Finally, if you flip a sunrise card, the first player to slap that location takes all the cards there, including the sunrise card. After the sunrise card has been flipped and slapped for a second time, the game is over and you count up the number of cards.
It’s not essential, but there’s actually quite a lot to like here, and the boys really, really enjoyed it. The simple rules mean you can play it at a really young age. Henry absolutely loved it because he really enjoys the Gremlins IP. The fact that you’re playing across multiple piles, and there are multiple ways to win those piles, means it’s not purely about being the fastest. There were times when two piles needed slapping, Jack got one, Henry got the other, and Henry actually ended up with the larger pile. It evens things out quite nicely.
The extra powers add a bit of variety, which gives things a little more spice than just playing regular Snap.
Component quality is simple but really good. The box is a nice size, could be a little smaller, but no real issue. The artwork on the cards is really cool and well drawn, and the festive element is fairly downplayed, so even if it’s not Christmas, you don’t really notice that you’re playing a Christmas game.
I wouldn’t pay £15 for this, but considering it’s widely available for £1.99, I definitely recommend it. It’s a really fun little game. Even if your kids aren’t fans of the Gremlins IP, it’s still good fun. It’s Snap at the end of the day, which most kids already know how to play, but it adds just enough extra to make it more accessible and fairer when you’ve got a mixed age group. The fact that all three of the kids wanted to play it multiple times is always a good sign. A surprisingly strong recommendation for something I had absolutely no expectations of.
*YES if you have to pay full price
