Game review 70: Cranium
A family board game that's stood the test of time. But are we the right family to play it?
Cranium, that party game from times gone by.
A game designed to test all parts of the old noggin, from wordplay, creativity, performing and problem solving, makes a lot of sense in a small group with a few beers down the gullet.
But what about now, now there’s a small child in tow?
In a word: no. But we’ll get on to that.
Now, obviously, a 25th-anniversary edition of the game came out last year via Funko, featuring a storage-friendly board, which acts as a case for the components, and erasable whiteboards replacing the standard pencil and paper. However, we’re staying old-school – refusing to get the same game twice out of spendthrift necessity.
Cranium’s obvious USP makes an instant impression with any kid worth their salt. That modelling clay – the purple tub of dreams – gets instant kudos and squeals of delight.
But from such promising heights do the greatest falls come. Cranium, you see, is a great family game. But that family will probably contain sulky teenagers forced to spend time with the family when the internet’s shut down and they can’t yet head to the pub.
With a younger child, it gets bewildering quickly. How do you hum in the tune round when you’re musical knowledge is limited to nursery rhymes, Baby Shark, some token Spice Girls and Taylor Swift tunes, and the theme from Paw Patrol?
How do you do a missing word round when just reading words is still being navigated?
Plus my clay-making skills are so bad, even a functioning adult will be scratching their head at my attempts to build a mini Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Gah. I like Cranium. But a game for young families it is not. Experiment unsuccessful. Will have to give this one a few years, then.
Game facts and stats
Age
13+
Year first published
1998
Publisher
This older version, Hasbro
Designer
Whit Alexander and Richard Tait
Player count
4 or more
E’s review
What do you like best about the game?
“It’s really good and I like how we have the purple dough to make pictures.”
Is it tricky?
“It wasn’t difficult and I was peeking when I shouldn’t.”
Marks out of 10
“30/10”
My review
Advised age range: 12+
Set-up time
A couple of minutes
Price
About £20
Practicality
It’s a standard sized box. The components are compact. No issues in this regard.
Fun for parents?
Fun for adults. However, if you’re playing with young kids, expect a short, frustrating, noisy game where everyone is frantically trying to explain what they think is going on but no one player understands anything the others are doing before it’s quickly put back in the shelf.
7/10
for a party game
3/10
for a game for young families
