Bop It Extreme 2

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What is this Bop It Extreme 2 thingy, then?

It looks rather like a steering wheel, although the top and bottom parts of the circle are missing. Instead, the "wheel" arms have brightly coloured knobs and buttons on the end. The basic premise of the game is that you listen for spoken instructions and perform some action or other on one of these knobs. The yellow Twist It needs to be er… twisted. The green Flick It needs ...
...centre button of the wheel, Bop It, has to be er… bopped (read slapped)! You get the idea, right? To begin the game, you switch on and wait for the instructions, behind which thumps a rhythmic dance beat.

Oh, it all sounds dead easy!

Ha! Not so! It takes a little bit of getting used to! I am not blessed with great co-ordination, motor skills or spatial awareness and I took rather a long time to get the hang of it. Conor ... more

Do you have children? Is your house noisy? Of course it is. Would you like to add a few more decibels to the cacophony? Read on, MacDuff.

It looks rather like a steering wheel, although the top and bottom parts of the circle are missing. Instead, the "wheel" arms have brightly coloured knobs and buttons on the end. The basic premise of the game is that you listen for spoken instructions and perform some action or other on one of these knobs. The yellow Twist It needs to be er… twisted. The green Flick It needs to be er… flicked. The blue Pull It needs to be er… pulled. The orange Spin It has to be er… spun. Finally, the centre button of the wheel, Bop It, has to be er… bopped (read slapped)! You get the idea, right? To begin the game, you switch on and wait for the instructions, behind which thumps a rhythmic dance beat.

Ha! Not so! It takes a little bit of getting used to! I am not blessed with great co-ordination, motor skills or spatial awareness and I took rather a long time to get the hang of it. Conor and Kieran – seven and eight - caught on much more quickly though, and Michael – over forty! - had it sussed from minute one. However good you are at it, though, Bop It Extreme is dangerously addictive. It is one of those games where, every time you mess up and it is game over, you find yourself saying, "Just one more go, just one more go," and before you know it, an hour has passed. If, like me, you generally fail miserably, the computer-generated voice pointing out this fact is jolly annoying!

Well, yes it is, in the sense that you only ever respond to instructions. However, there are several "modes" of play. You can play it as a single player in the way I have described. It has a reasonably long shelf life even in this way because it is so addictive and because you can keep track of your high scores. As you get better at it, the instructions come faster and so there is always the motivation to see how far you can get. This is Vox Bop Solo and you can also play it with others by comparing scores. You could try Vox Bop Pass It, which is the same game with a pass the parcel twist and on the instruction Pass It you must er… pass it! Winner is the last player left in. Or you could try Vox Bop One on One – in this game two players take one side of the wheel each and respond to only the instruction that apply to them. And when you have mastered all the Vox Bop modes, you can start all over again with the Beat Bop modes. These remove the spoken instructions and you need to rely on listening to the various beats as cues for which knob or button to flick, twist, pull, spin or slap. You can also choose different beat styles.

I bought Bop It Extreme 2 on a recommendation in a review on this website, and I certainly bought it with my two children in mind. It has certainly proved popular, with not only Conor and Kieran, but also with all their friends. Bop It Extreme seems to have peer group pulling power, judging by the crowds of children knocking at the door, wanting to have a go. We have owned this silly toy for a couple of months now, and it is still out and in use every day. However, it is not just the children playing with it. Michael and I find it hilarious. My dad – who is almost seventy! – is determined to beat Michael's high score of 121 and even my mother falls about laughing and takes her share of turns. I would say that Bop It Extreme could be played and enjoyed by a huge range of people, provided they all like NOISE. It is particularly funny with a glass or two of wine inside you!

Bop It Extreme 2 is available it seems, from most toyshops or gadget places. I bought mine from Amazon because I am a) lazy and b) had some vouchers. It will set you back £23 plus postage there. Larger Woolworth's stock it though, for £20 and this is the cheapest price I can find. You will need to buy three AAA batteries, as the game does not come complete with them. It is not greedy though – in the eight or ten weeks we have owned Bop It Extreme 2, it has seen constant use, and we have not yet needed to replace them. The game is sturdy and strong – hordes of seven to ten year olds have thrown it around and cast it aside to no ill effect at all and none of the knobs and buttons look worn or wobbly. The manufacturers recommend Bop It Extreme 2 for ages eight and up but my nephew, who is two, has enjoyed himself with it, even if he cannot quite play the game properly. I would think most children from five up would enjoy it and be able to play, although perhaps any older children or adults might refrain from doing too well themselves as a kindness.

Oh yes, do! I really cannot think of any reason why you should not, as long as you do not mind noise. Bop It Extreme 2 is N-O-I-S-Y. Really, really noisy. It is also riotously funny. It would also make a fantastic Christmas or birthday present – at twenty quid it seems like quite a lot of money for what you receive but it is well made and sturdy and it does have longevity. In comparison to many toys out there, I think it is excellent value for money.

Um… I should add that my high score is eighty-two. That is quite pathetic. Darnit!

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