The Operation board game teaches kids hand-eye co-ordination and anatomy.
It's also a lot of fun!

Game:
Operation
Board game manufacturer:
Hasbro
Number of players:
1-6

QUICK VERDICT

The Operation board game will teach your kids while they have fun. They'll be too busy laughing to realise that this game is an anatomy lesson in disguise! It's quite a limited concept, so is best suited for children aged 6-11yrs or so.

Operation will test your children's patience and hand-eye co-ordination. As amateur surgeons, the players will earn both kudos and play money and spend most of their time laughing hysterically at each other's blunders.

The game and gameplay

Players take turns to pick up an Operation card. Each card demands a specific procedure. An example would be, "Remove the patient's funny bone for $800."

The player then takes the 'hotwired' tweezers and attempts to complete the operation. Most are simple "remove something" jobs, but there's one or two which require more skill (connecting the ankle bone, a small rubber band which must be hooked over two pegs, is a particularly tricky challenge).

If the operation is a success, the player receives payment, but if they allow the tweezers to touch the sides of the patient's body cavity, his nose lights up red and a buzzer sounds. ARRRRGHH! THAT HURTS!

Cue much giggling and general hilarity, made more common becuase subsequent surgeons will have less steady hands as a result of all the merriment. BUZZZZ! Unsuccessful operations mean the card is returned to the deck for another player to attempt.

The winner is the player who has earned the most money once every operation has been successfully completed on the patient.

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Pros and cons

The Operation board game is bright, funny and easy to set up and learn, making it an ideal game for kids' parties or Christmas celebrations.

This is definitely a kids' game when all's said and done. However, while it is way too dull a concept to keep adults occupied for long, it can be a fun family experience for an occasional game. Some of the operations are extremely tricky, even for adults (or perhaps especially for adults!).

Even most kids will tire of the game before long, as it lacks depth and variety. We suggest limiting its use to one or two games per outing.

The verdict

Operation is unlikely to become anybody's all-time favourite, but with the right group of kids or kid-friendly family members, it is guaranteed to raise a lot of laughs.