The Singing Bee DVD Game

by Amanda Nettgen

(USA)

Game:
The Singing Bee DVD Game
Board game manufacturer:
Imagination
Number of players:
2+ (although you can challenge yourself)
Ages:
12+

Quick verdict

The Singing Bee Game is the at-home version of the NBC game show. The emphasis is on singing the lyrics correctly rather than in tune.

The game and gameplay

The Singing Bee comes in a board game box, but you don’t need it. Inside you will find a DVD case that holds the instructions and Bee tokens in addition to the game disc itself, so the bigger container is superfluous.

Punch out all of the cardboard cutouts, insert the game disc, assign teams (play with your “honey”!) and you’re ready to go.

While the content isn’t simple, the game is easy to play. On your team’s go, the exercises will be randomized. After the game selects a category for you, your team may work together to try to answer it. The leftover players serve as judges.

The Singing Bee Game Challenges include: Sing in the Words, Random Shuffle, Sing in the Phrase, Sing in the Chorus, Karaoke Challenge and Blind Start.In Sing in the Words and Sing in the Phrase, basically you’re finishing a song with your back to the TV. With Random Shuffle, a collection of lyrics will get jumbled up, and it’s your job to unscramble them on your first guess.

Sing in the Chorus is self-explanatory, while Karaoke Challenge will have you filing in blanks. Blind Start requires you to know an opening of a song.

All required lyrics must be sung word for word, and if your team is successful at a challenge, a Bee token is awarded. The first team to collect five tokens wins the cardboard trophy!

Pros and cons

This game is not the bee’s knees. The only good thing I can say about it is that fans of the show or music addicts might find it fun.

It’s too hard for your average lyric-listening person. Also, when the category wheel spins around on the screen it makes you think there are a ton of challenges, but really there’s only six.

Joey Fatone, former member of N*sync and the game show host, keeps repeating the same cheesy lines and grows annoying quickly.

The verdict

What’s the buzz on The Singing Bee DVD Game? Most will be better off just watching the show and cringing at the contestant’s attempts to sing rather than stumbling through the game themselves.