Pocket money spending time! E has accrued enough dollarbucks from polishing, tidying up her own Polly Pockets and drying up spoons and other assorted cutlery it’s safe for her to clean to go round Smyths and get something she wants.
This, inevitably results in an extended trawl through the store, looking at *every* item and pleading with very dignity for an extra £150 so she can get a Barbie dollhouse.
Eventually, he get to the games section. Assorted family games mass-market, plastic-heavy tat is on display, along with a few curios and classics.
‘I want that one.’ She’s pointing at a box on which a sleepy, but deadly looking dog is about to be woken by a pair of frightened but determined children. A roll-and-move pathway threatens its way around the board.
I begin to suggest something far more interesting instead. ‘There’s plenty more here. What about thi–’
‘No, this one!’
Oh well.
Thus, Don't Wake up the Doggy is coming home with us. That doggy in the shop window – the one without a waggly tail and a terrible bite – has been bought and sold.
This one sees your players sent off down the garden path for a bit of fresh air, only to encounter a sleeping “chomping dog”.
Might need to have a word about the owner of that one.
Yes, yes, it’s a knock-off of Don’t Wake Dad.
DWUTD is a simple but immensely frustrating fame. There’s no skill or strategy involved - unless you include the ability to cheat by not pressing the button down that wakes the dog hard enough and getting away with it - but despite the lack of board space, games can take a while. Waking the dog sends you back to square 1 and that will happen a lot. Even landing on the same space as your opponent sends you right back.
As such, a game that you thought would provide a five-minute distraction for your child can take a much longer chunk out of your day.
Despite the simplicity, E manages to conjure up some rather troubling house rules. This includes that if your character wakes up the dog then they literally get eaten and it’s game over for them. As it turns out, this ends up being much preferable and gets the game over a lot quicker. Good boy.
Game facts and stats
Publisher
Smyths
Designer
Uncredited
Player count
2–4
E’s review
What do you like about the game?
“The Doggy eating us. But I don’t like the Doggy eating me thinking I am a bone.”
Is it difficult?
“I don’t like going back to the start again because it means I can’t win.”
Any other thoughts?
“Woof woof woof woof.”
Marks out of 10
“23”
My review
Advised age range
3+
Set-up time
A couple of minutes
Price
A cheap-as-chips £6.99
Practicality
At least the box is small. Younger children will definitely need help putting the board together.
Fun for parents?
Not really. Great and exciting for younger kids, but games can go on for a surprisingly tedious amount of time.