Monster Match Game Age 4+ 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

I thought Monster Match by the Exploding Kittens Company would be a great game for my three grandchildren who are two, six and seven. I was worried that as the game states it is for 4years + it maybe too difficult for the two-year-old however this didn’t prove to be an issue.

When the package arrived, it came in a grey plastic postal bag. There was no unnecessary packaging. The game is in an attractive bright green box that has a friendly purple monster pictured on the front with a clear window that looks like an open mouth that allows you to see the two dice. It has clear notification that there are choking hazards in the box (the two dice). On the back of the box were instructions on how to play the game and it looked simple but exciting.

I took my grandchildren and an adult friend with additional needs to a restaurant and thought it would be an ideal opportunity to test out the game between courses. Monster Match is a compact and portable game that was easy to stick in a bag to take anywhere.

When opening the box, the children were very excited and eager to play the game. As well as the instructions on the back of the box there was an additional set of instructions in the box on glossy paper that matched the style of the box. On one side of the paper there was detailed instructions on how to play for adults or advanced readers and on the other side was an easy-to-read version for the younger reader. I thought this to be a very good idea as it meant the younger players could be included in learning the rules and practice their reading skills. The box contained an additional glossy leaflet that gave information for other products available from the Exploding Kitten Games company.

When the box was opened the contents consisted of a cardboard tray which held a cardboard monster that replicated the monster printed on the outer box, a small plastic holder which held 50 monster cards and the two dice. To prepare for the game the monster is sat upright in the tray to allow the players to throw the dice down the back and watch the dice fall out of the open mouth of the monster which proved super fun for those playing. One of the dice contained the numbers 1-6 in number form (not dots) and the other dice has body parts on it (arm, leg and eyeball). The body parts were non offensive and would not frighten the younger players. The 50 cards have a variety of different funny monsters on them with various numbers of eyes, legs and arms. The monsters on the cards are colourful and friendly in appearance.

The idea of the game is to have ten cards laying face up and each player takes turns to throw the dice down the slide to come out of the monster’s mouth. All players then look at what the 2 dice say (2 legs) and quickly points to a card with a monster that fits the description of the dice. If there is only one monster that matches the dice, then the person that points to it first claims the card. Each time cards are collected they are replaced by new cards until there are none left. The player with the most cards is the winner.

I found this to be a fun game for all involved. The children liked this variation on the game of snap and my friend with additional needs enjoyed being able to participate without fear of not being able to keep up with others. The two-year-old did struggle but still enjoyed being part of the fun. I felt it wouldn’t be long before the two-year-old gave everyone else a run for their money.

Due to the compact nature of the game, we were able to easily take a break from the game to eat our food and continue afterwards.

The game says that it is for between 2-6 players, and I think that 6 players would have to be the limit due to needing to have space to access the cards on the table.

The game encourages counting, observation, reasoning, concentration and participation.

This game was a hit with everyone and when asked all agreed they wanted to play it a lot and used words to describe it like “brilliant, fun, exciting”.

Exploding Kittens Monster Match – is £14.00 and can be purchased from Amazon here.

Rating: 5/5