Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Captures the toy, complete with sound and light
Cons: Mostly a nostalgia piece, but that audience will love
it.
The Bottom Line:
This electric game
Designed for 80’s children
Nostalgia for tree
Let Simon Beep and Flash on Your Tree
While I never had the game Simon as a kid, I had friends who
did, so I know I played the game a time or two. Still, it wasn’t
quite as embedded in me as a warm childhood memory, so I thought a little while
before I snagged Hallmark’s ornament version of the classic. Just
before my favorite store sold out, I caved and got him.
If you are familiar with the electronic game, then you
pretty much know what to expect with the ornament. It’s a black
circle. Okay, so it’s more than that. It’s a black circle
with four buttons of different colors on it and a few other controls in the
middle.
The idea of the game was sort of like “Simon Says.” The
game would create a sequence by flashing a light and a different tone under the
four different colored buttons. Once it finished, your job was to
repeat it back correctly. Each time you got it right, it would
increase the length of the sequence. My memory for this kind of
thing being what it is, I was never very good at it. Then again,
maybe it I’d had my own I would have done better.
The reason I explain the game is to explain why the magic
portion of this ornament is so cool. If you press any of the buttons
in the middle of this ornament, it will play one of three sequences. The
first one is short with only four beeps, and the other two get increasingly
longer, the third ending with a miss. Obviously, you can’t repeat
the sequence back like you could with a real Simon, but this is still a fun
feature. To make it work, you do need to install two button
batteries in the back of the ornament, but your first set comes with it.
Like the original game, the back of this ornament is
flat. Of course, when you lay the ornament down that way, you don’t
really get to see the details on the front that make this ornament. As
a result, I recommend hanging it from the hook at the top of the circle. Yes,
there is a top thanks to the writing on the game. It’s really no
surprise since we are hanging a circle to find that the ornament hangs
straight.
Even though I never had this game, I still know enough to
know this is exactly what the game looked like. The little details
of the game start buttons, the skill levels, and the writing make this a fun
ornament for anyone who loved to play the game.
Since I never had one, buying the Simon ornament wasn’t as
big a trip down memory lane for me, and I almost passed it up. Still,
I’m glad I caved since it is a fun way to capture a classic toy from the era of
my childhood.
Original Price: $19.95
I think it's a game I would enjoy if I played it more. It would be frustrating after a while for me, but I know I would be addicted to it.
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