HANKMAN Game Age 6+ Years Review

DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.

Reviewed by Derrie Evans

The hangman game has always been a favourite of mine, although back when I was young we played it with pen and paper. This game has a slight name change and is now called Hankman. I think this could imply a little less gruesome to the younger players. When looking at the packaging it looks very inviting although not very practical. Once the box has been opened it is important to note that all of the clear packaging must be kept to enable to the game to be put away without losing all the object through the large decorative holes in the box.

When setting up the game it was very important to have the gallows on a flat hard surface as it wasn’t very solid. The gallows and body parts are made with hard plastic. All body parts are connected by magnets. The game came with instructions, but they didn’t seem to be as clear as they could be. I felt it took longer to set up than necessary. It was important to keep the plastic bag that the card letters came in as when they are separated from the cardboard frame they need somewhere safe to keep them together.

There is a rack that allows you to place up to ten letters and ten tabs that are placed in front so that the person guessing can’t see the letters until they are revealed.

As when playing the paper version of Hangman you draw the gallows and hangman on a piece of paper. With Hankman the judge chooses a word and sets it in the rack hidden by the tabs. The other player guesses a letter, if it is part of the word the letter is revealed. If there is more than one of the same letter, then all tabs in front of the named letter are removed. If the player guesses a letter that isn’t part of the word, then a piece of the hangman is placed on the gallows. In this game the Hankman is named Hank, and my granddaughter loved the fact that he had a name. Every mistake adds another piece to the gallows. First the hat followed by the head, body, one arm at a time and finally one leg at a time. If the word is still not guessed Hank will fall and break up. We did find that when putting Hank together we had to be gentle or he would come apart prematurely.

My granddaughter who struggles with spelling and reading was very interested in playing the game. I did wonder how this would work but she was very eager to try. When I was able to choose the word, it proved easier as my granddaughter had to say letters and not worry about reading or spelling. When it was her turn to choose the word, she chose “cat” which I guessed very quickly. We then decided that she would give me a list of words and I wrote them down and she could choose a word from the list. It was like a Hankman shopping list. This worked well and we were able to have many turns.

I found this game to be very encouraging for those who may struggle with spelling and need a variation on learning to spell. I did also feel that I could use the game to vary the way it is played to encourage increased learning.

This game says it is suitable for the ages 6+. I think this is fair and it can easily be played by older children including young teens. If adults wanted to play, they could choose themes to make it harder.

Hankman The Official Guess, The Hangman Mystery Word Game, 2+ Players, Ages 6+. Fun board games anyone can play. Easy set up family games. Can you guess the word or will Hank fall?

Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games     

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hankman-Official-Hangman-Mystery-Players/dp/B0GXWN8S9P
RRP £19.99
Rating: 4/5