Guess Who? Board Game Reviews

• Great concept, but POORLY EXECUTED !

  
  By on 1999-09-16
  We bought this game 4 or 5 years ago, and were terribly DISAPPOINTED. Here's why: the distribution of characteristics among the suspects is very unbalanced. For instance, out of 48 possible people, only 6 are female. Right there, that makes a "female" round go very quickly. Only a few wear glasses or earrings or hats. For this reason, the game is too simple for any but the youngest players (5-6 year olds); older kids will be bored after one or two rounds. This game could have been exciting and challenging. It would have been great if they had included different faces/cards to allow different challenge levels.
  
  

• A better form of twenty questions!

  
  By A4IJAIG9455PT on 2002-12-07
  This is basically a game of elimination. You ask a yes or no question like Does your person have blond hair? Your opponent answers and so on until one of your identities is discovered. Iknow from that it sounds a little boring. Trust me it's not. I've played this game for hours at a time before. Best of all it helps children to think logically and form relevant questions. A great gift.
  
  

• THIS IS FUN FOR GROWN-UPS, TOO!

  
  By on 1999-07-16
  There are two great things about this game: (1) it is enjoyable even for adults, because it involves a creative new approach to deductive reasoning (don't worry if that sounds complicated; it's not) each time you play; and (2) there are no small parts to get lost -- everything is attached to the game board except for a stack of cards and even if you lose a few cards the game works. I think that the age range is WAY overstated -- I have played with my son since he was four and recently gave it to a family with 3 year old twins, and they can all play with no problem; so this is good for families with different=aged kids. Generally, my son is done playing before I am and there are very few things I can say that about!
  
  

• Great for mixed-age groups

  
  By A3MW1C075RW72L on 2003-08-05
  My kids, ages six and ten, love to play this game together. Finding something they both enjoy happens about as frequently as a total eclipse of the sun, so that ought to tell you something right there. The plastic frames are a little flimsy for my taste, but you can play this game even if you are missing a card or two, so I anticipate getting lots of use out of this one.
  
  

• my kids love this game

  
  By on 1999-12-04
  We have had Guess Who for several years, and it still gets played and enjoyed. My kids are now 5,9 and 11. My 5 year old was playing it at age 3, which amazed me. This is a game I don't mind playing over and over (unlike Candyland, which puts me to sleep). It is a new challenge each time you play.
  
  
• Taking Guess Who to the next level
  By A1S5AVIJ0V26MU on 2002-09-07
  PLEASE READ THIS!!! IT MAY CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
  We all know that Guess Who is a great, simple kids game but few realise the staggering genius of this little wonder. Honestly people, try this more complex version of the game just once and you'll be hooked.
  We discovered the mystical powers that this game possesses while lazing away in a small fishing village in brasil, though we've found a room in London to be just as good a venue. To unlock it's secret, carefully follow these steps.......

  Instead of choosing one character, choose 3.
  Only ask questions that start with 'do any of your characters have...' or 'do most of your characters have..'. 'Any can mean one, two or three characters have that physical feature; most can mean two or three. By piecing together the clues, characters can slowly be eliminated. All 3 characters must be guessed correctly at the same time to win the game.
  The games should last about 10 minutes, so they're perfect for any time or state you may be in!

  Other little rules can be added, such as each player can refuse to answer one question about his characters per game!
  Tell as many people that you can about this game, it's a phenomenon waiting to happen.
  Happy Guess Whoing. Thanks to my creative consultants Pedros and Jazzy
  
  

• Suprisingly educational, fun for all
  By on 1999-07-21
  My 8 Year old was given this game for Christmas. I like games, but sometimes it's hard to play round after round of a child's game without going nuts. This was a lot of fun for the whole family. It encouraged the kids to be observant and creative in their descriptions of the mystery person. I thought this would just be a "keep the kids quiet" game, but it ended up being educational and a good family game.
  
  
• The game of narrowing your choices to make an educated guess
  By on 1999-07-13
  This is a very enjoyable game for the young and old alike. It's a game of mixing and matching.

  You try to figure out who the other person has. You begin by asking questions such as: "Does this person have blonde hair? Do they have a mustache?", etc. You narrow your choices down until you can make an educated guess on who it is!

  It's a lot of fun and kids will enjoy it! I would recommend it to anyone.
  
  

• Not just for kids.
  By A1EB3EO0NZ1LO on 2000-12-26
  Guess Who is a game that is recommended for kids, yet all ages will have fun playing it. Guess Who is about finding out your opponents identity by asking questions about what their character looks like. Through this process, characters are eliminated till there is only one remaining.

  Guess Who certainly provides a lot of fun. It will help kids to think and will keep them amused at the same, making it good for educational value. Also, the game is very durable. The boards are made from pretty strong plastic and won't break easily. Also the cards that the characters are on are protected by a plastic covering and they don't get ruined easily.

  So Guess Who is a fun, educational and durable game that is fun for all ages.
  
  

• Good, with 1 major flaw
  By A1PEHG88BFJXLA on 2005-12-01
  
  THE UPSIDE:
  
  This toy is a great classic for every generation of the family! Whenever you start to play this very fun game, you cannot stop! This game is very fun and has a cool concept. You each draw a character card from a pile and place then in your holder. There are about 20 different characters. You then have to ask yes or no answer questions like...
  "Is it a man?"
  "Are they wearing a hat?"
  "What color hair do they have?"
  Whoever guesses first wins. The game is very catchy and fun, all your friends will want to play it with you...Loads of fun!
  
  THE DOWNSIDE
  
  But there is a major flaw.
  There are not many girls in the game. Probably about 5, I am too lazy to check. There are absolutely no African-American, Chinese, Latino, Hispanic etc. people in it. There is all white people as the characters to the game. Some families/children may find this offending, so I reccomend the Disney Version for 8 years and younger kids.
  Also, this is not a very good party/gathering game because the games somethimes are rather long, and it is a 2 player game.
  The plastic holer is a little cheap, but sturdy enough for 75+ times of play.
  
  
  I hope this helps you decision.
  
  Good Luck and Merry Christmas!
  
  Love,
  Nessie, Age 11
  
  
  
• A Great toy for some fun, like on a rainy day.
  By on 1999-07-20
  This toy is not the most educational or durable, but it sure is fun! When I went to an after-school program, everyone would race to these games first, and if you didn't make it there first, you had to wait your turn, which proves how much people OTHER THAN me like it too. It is fairly durable, because the little pieces that hold the "people" can break somewhat easily. The educational value...well, I guess it's good for being able to determine to "sift" through things to get down to the right "thing". That is how it applys to life, not the game. The game, you try to figure out who the other person has by asking yes or no questions. Like, Does your person have brown hair? And depending on the answer, you put down the people who do or don't have brown hair. Anyway, I would recomend this toy highly!
  
  
• You Want to Play Again?
  By A2E9Q3T876TQ6C on 2006-08-25
  My youngest daughter has been in love with this game since she was about four or five years old. That's a bit young according to the manufacturer but she's always been an analytical type and figured out how to play early. When she was introduced to this game, she excelled to the point that few children wanted to play with her. She would play GUESS WHO numerous times a day until she ran out of opponents.
  
  The game is a simple premise. The contest is for two people and each has a game board with twenty-four faces on them. The faces are in plastic frames that can face you when the person is still in the running or can be tilted over so they are face down when eliminated. The first time you play this game, you will need to set up each board. The faces have to be placed in the frames and the frame hinges clicked into the board. It takes about ten minutes to do this and from then on the game is ready to play.
  
  Each player chooses their "person" of mystery by drawing a card and placing it in the top slot on their board. Their opponent has to figure out who they chose by eliminating the field of twenty-four. The twenty-four possibilities each have different characteristics and the trick is to eliminate them as quickly as possible. Deductive reasoning is the key to this by asking questions that reduces the number of possibilities. The first question out of my daughter is always, "Is your person a female?" The answer to that question always gets rid of many faces. Other questions might be the color of the person's eyes, facial hair, balding, clothing, etc. Since only one question can be asked at a time, getting rid of the most people with that one question is the trick. The first one to figure out their opponent's person is the winner.
  
  GUESS WHO is such a simple game and is actually educational. Deductive reasoning is a primary tool that is used throughout life and if a young child can master it, they are going to do well. Another positive to this game is that after the initial set up, it is always ready to play - even young children can grab the boards and quickly begin. The downside is that GUESS WHO does not hold adults' interest like it does for children. It seemed as if my daughter could play this forever whereas I only wanted to play one or two games.
  
  The game consists of two 2 plastic game board trays, 24 mystery cards, 48 face cards and face frames, 2 score keepers, 8 rubber feet, and instructions. It comes with a warning that there are small parts that pose a choking hazard for small children, but that is only before the initial set up. This game is recommended for children six to nine years old.
  
  GUESS WHO is a great game that helps children learn to deduce. They seem to have fun flipping down those face frames in their pursuit of finding their opponents mystery person. And with my daughter, the more frames she got to flip at one time, the more she giggled. Ok, so it drove me nuts when she wanted to play several games every day but it was actually quite painless for me. Too bad they didn't come out with the new Disney version sooner that would have been a nice change.
  
  
  
• GREAT game for kids and adults!
  By on 2001-11-12
  No reading necessary - which makes it a great game to play with young children. At the same time, it is fun to play for the adult or older children playing it (how many weary times can you play Chutes and Ladders or Candy Land!?!)with a younger child. Helps teach observation skills as well as strategy and deductive reasoning by using process of elimination questions.
  
  
• fun for all ages
  By on 1999-07-18
  My ten year old son and I have been playing this game for years. It's a great game to play before going to bed, because it doesn't get kids all wired,you can just relax and play. It is a good game for teaching younger children observation skills. It is an easy game to put together and to keep all the pieces together. It really is alot of fun.
  
  
• Beats "Gameboy" on the road big time!
  By A8OU2FHE8QWFS on 2000-12-13
  "Guess Who" has a lot more going for it than the ubiquitous Gameboys. For one thing, you actually have to TALK to your opponent to play this game. For another, you develop questioning skills in order to "one-up" your opponent next time. Most of all, there are no levels that get beat, thus requiring purchase of yet another game cartridge!

  My boys have passed many an hour on the road playing this game, and it has inspired many a creative effort on their parts to try and come out on top. Sometimes they go for most obscure clue, others, the quickest round. I have also used the game with students who are cognitively delayed to teach questioning, and language disabled kids to help them focus on pertinent information. Of course, they are simply told we will be playing a game. Heaven forbid that they might learn something!

  This game has been a classic for years with good reason--it appeals to many on many levels. I will never forget the first night our two boys were in separate rooms across the hall from each other--playing "Guess Who" through their walkie-talkies!
  
  

• Great game for working on speech
  By on 2002-05-02
  As a speech pathologist I am always looking for ways to teach kids skills within an "everyday" setting. What better than working on speech within a game? This game is great for working on asking and answering questions, problem solving and speech sounds in conversation. The most important thing is that it is fun for the kids and for me.
  
  
• racist
  By on 2003-12-15
  This game only has white people's faces. There are no people of other races. Look for the spanish version at least there are black people, but only a few. The older versions of this game had also but I don't know why they changed the new versions. So look for the spanish version over the web.
  
  
• ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
  By A3S1YIQQW7AZO on 2006-02-18
  That was the first thing that struck me about this game after buying it--I had to PUT IT TOGETHER!??? I remember playing Guess Who in the 80's and (correct me if I'm wrong), but I don't remember having to assemble the game.
  
  Admittedly, the assembly is not complicated, anyone who's done plastic models will have no problems whatsoever breaking out the plastic components. The paper face-cards come apart easily. And everything comes together nicely when you put it all together--except that some of the tiles have a tendency to get snagged, resulting in your tile being halfway between face-up and face-down.
  
  However, in my opinion, assembly should not have been required at all. With a box this size, the game would have fit perfectly even if it was assembled and that's because all the tiles would be laying down anyway. I can understand assembly being required for games like "The Game of Life" or "Mousetrap", because you have huge blocky pieces that need to be placed on large gameboards. Having to assemble "Guess Who" is just laziness on Milton Bradley's part.
  
  Once I did get the game assembled and played it with a friend, I noticed another huge flaw: A HUGE waste of possibilities.
  
  There are only 5 female people and 5 African-American people. All the rest are white males. If you are unfortunate enough to get one of those "minorities" you are probably going to get your person "guessed" real fast.
  
  Even more glaring of a flaw is how only the hair, glasses, eyebrows, haircolor, beard or moustache distinguish characters. It sounds like alot, but after playing about 10 times, you'll find yourself asking the same redundant questions. The faces have little to no variety in their mouth positions, nose sizes and eye color. You can ask questions about those three but it can be tricky.
  
  Overall, Guess Who is a fairly entertaining game but I really wish they had--at least--been a bit more distinctive with the faces.
  
  By the way, some good questions to ask to help you win:
  "Does your person have a name that is exactly (X) letters long?"
  "Does your person have eyes that look to the (left, right, up, down, straight)"
  
  
• New twist on an old game
  By on 2000-11-30
  We have had this game for several years and now that my kids are older and should have outgrown the game (Jr. High), they have made it really interesting. Instead of offering guesses like "is your person wearing glasses?", they ask questions like "does your person teach Economics at Harvard?", or "did your person protest the Vietnam War?". Amazingly, we are still usually able to come up with the person's identity, only not as easily as asking the obvious about hair color, bushy eyebrows, etc.
  
  
• ***TAKING GUESS WHO FURTHER***
  By AY1SZG1R2AWCF on 2004-08-26
  Friends, after 4 years of endless fun, I simply have to share this. Guess Who has transformed my life, and maybe what follows will do the same for you.
  Below are the rules of HARDCORE CHAMPIONSHIP GW:
  
  1. Each player draws THREE cards. A bit fiddly to slot in, I know, but if you're the kind of mind that appreciates Guess Who, I know you can do it. A bit of overlap never hurt anyone.
  
  2. Now concentrate. Legal questions are of TWO sorts: Either 'Do ANY of yours have...?' or 'Do MOST of yours have...?'. The ANY question doesn't need explaining; the MOST one does and is crucial - MOST simply means more than 1, i.e. 2 or 3 (all)
  
  So if you get asked 'Do MOST of yours have dark hair?' and say you have two black and one brown, your answer would have to be 'Yes'. Your opponent now knows that you have AT LEAST two darkies, and PERHAPS a third. If you only had one darky and therefore answered `No', your opponent would be left with the unsavoury conclusion that you MIGHT have one, but definitely not any more. Got it?
  NB: There is no 'Do ALL of yours have...?' question.
  
  3. The most beautiful rule of all and the third, CRITICAL enhancement of Championship GW is this: each player can choose to decline ONE - and only one - question per game. Rest assured, a poker-faced 'I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I'm not going to answer that' adds more than just smug satisfaction. It opens up a whole new bluffing dimension, which, if executed and timed successfully, will see you careering ahead while your opponent is left to restructure his game around an inferior and ultimately fatal line of enquiry. Not only is he or she left without an answer, he or she cannot ask the same question the following go.
  
  4. As an offshoot of the above, you HAVE to answer the first question. Use yours wisely - it's the only one you're guaranteed an answer to.
  
  5. While you can make individual guesses, e.g. 'Are any of yours Stephen?', a triple-character guess is FINAL. Get it right and you win, get it wrong and you lose the game. No messing about here folks, you need to be sure before you guess, or at least only be guessing because you think you're about to be had anyway so you might as well take the plunge.
  
  That's it. You've now left the old, rather limited standard game for a beautiful world of logical deduction, ruthless cunning and maximum enjoyment.
  Championship GW is OUT OF CONTROL - TRY IT and spread the word!
  
  
• It takes good question asking and is simple and fun!
  By on 1999-08-03
  In guess who you must think up good questions to try to figure out who the opponent's person is.You want to use the least amount of turns so that you guess there peson before they guess yours.This game includes drawins of people which are on a plastic base so that when you are asked a question for example does your person have a beard and you say no then your opponent puts all the peole with beards down so as to lessin the amount of people to guess from!This game is fun for all ages and is for 2 players only.
  
  
• A Great Educational Game
  By A3GPBDIXWDF5H6 on 2002-12-24
  This is a superb game that people of all ages can play and it also makes a great gift.

  REGULAR PLAY:
  In regular play you draw one Mystery card. Then, you have got to ask "yes" or "no" questions like "Does your person have blue eyes". Then you opponent will either answer yes or no, If they answer "yes", you flip down all the people who don't have blue eyes. But, if they answer "no", then you flip down all the people who have blue eyes. You keep asking questions until one player can guess who the other person has correctly.

  But be careful when you guess, because if you guess wrong, you automatically lose the game. So only guess when you are confident that you will guess right. On the other hand, if you guess right, then you win the game!

  CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY:
  In Championship Play, you play a series of games. Each time you win, you slide the score keeper up one point. The first player to win five games wins the Championship Play.

  CHALLENGE GAME:
  In Challenge Game, you draw two Mystery cards instead of one. Your objective is to determine who both of your opponent's people are!

  You must include the words "both" or "either" in each question you ask. For instance, you might ask "Does either of your people where hats". If your opponent answers "no", then you flip down all the people who are not wearing hats. But, if you person says "yes", then you cannot flip down any cards because one person is wearing a hat, but the other person might not.

  To win Challenge Game, you must be able to guess who both of the Mystery People are on the same turn.

  Thank you for reading my review. ...
  
  

• Only one problem
  By A3OM56ZTHVP7SQ on 2003-09-18
  This game is the perfect one to describe "family game". The rules are simple. The questons are easy to think of. Each round is pretty quick. WHat more do you want in a game? The object of the game is to guess who your oppent picked before they guess who you picked. You ask question such as "Does your person have a hat on?" If they answer "yes" You can close all the little cards with people who dont have hats on. The drawings are detailed and funny.
  The only problem is the duribility...after about a month of use the little cards with the possible peoples names on them fall out. The solution? Tape them to pieces of paper and when you know they are not the correct answer, turn the card over.
  This game is all around fun and a great but if you have children under eight or just want a light game to play.
  
  
• Newer isn't always better...look for the 1998 version.
  By A21U5GDQ0LLLYP on 2005-04-14
  I'm an educational therapist, and had borrowed another therapist's "Guess Who?" game to use with students. I found it to be great for students who need work on visual discrimination, and it builds categorizing skills and other thinking skills. The game I borrowed had a copyright date of 1998. I found this game so useful that I decided to buy it for myself, but, though Amazon.com pictures the 1998 version, I got a newer, but not improved, version. The only improvement is that it comes in a smaller box, so it's more portable. My main complaint is that the drawings of the faces are very simplistic, and lacking in any character, in contrast to the very detailed faces of the original game, which actually exude personality. In addition, though it looks as though Milton Bradley tried to show a little more cultural diversity than in the original game, they still aren't representing genders equally; still only one fourth of the characters are female. Finally, the "deck" of face cards is not a real deck this time, but small rectangles that you have to punch out from a card.
  
  
• Great Game - Try playing with 2 unknowns !!!
  By on 1999-10-05
  It is a great game for kids, and a fun game for teenagers (if you add to it the 2 cards/unknowns it is even more).
  
  
• good fun but cheaply made!
  By A3BZ8MAE19J32P on 2002-01-04
  I got this for my daughter for Christmas (on sale for $10) and she couldn't get enough of it - then. Unfortunately, this game is so cheaply made! Thin paper game pieces, plastic frames that easily break during the lengthy assembly process and no extras. This game is fun till it breaks, but what do you expect for $10? I spent more on shipping.
  
  
• great for language
  By on 2002-11-28
  I am a speech-language pathologist and I use this to increase the language skills of my clients. The children love to play it. I will use it at home once my child is 6. It is a must have!
  
  
• the little box of magic
  By A1LHCDWQWAITV6 on 2003-03-06
  i've been playing guess who for years now with my kids, grandkids and nephews and nieces, not to mention my wife, daughters, and brother. our old board broke recently so i wanted to buy a new one for the family.
  now, whoever Joe Moore, Pedros and Jazzy are deserve a special mention here. their review had me intrigued, to say the least. after over 10 years of guess who-ing, the new form of choosing 3 cards instead of 1 has changed the game for me and my family...at christmas we gave the new board to the grandkids and it was used all christmas and boxing day. the only problem was....the kids hardly got a game!!
  When the older members of the family tried the new form, none of them would stop. It made for a great holidays. so for everyone who's been playing this with the kids for a while, try the 3 card version and you'll be blown away.
  
  
• WE LOVE IT.............A true Classic
  By A2ZBIDGV9MD5LJ on 2006-08-14
  A wonderful game that has my 4 year old wanting to play over and over again. My husband and I don't mind........We enjoy re-living our childhood!!!
  I do agree that it is not as durable as I remember it being (MANY years ago in England). But it is still strong enough to withstand LOTS of fun and play.
  I do think the age should be lowered to 4+. It really is not that complicated for this age group.
  
  
• kids love this game, and it's fun for adults too
  By A1XK0V2YA9LM8P on 2006-11-25
  My three boys all have played this game and loved it. It is one of the very few kids games that I don't dread as an adult. You can play a game within 10-20 minutes so it doesn't take a big time commitment. My kids never get bored playing.
  I only gave 4 stars because the game parts are not that sturdy, and the individual faces fall out sometimes. Overall, a great game.
  
  

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