Tomy Brain Drain

Approx. price: £16.99

Age range: 7+

Website: www.tomy.co.uk

Brain Drain is a fast-paced quiz game from Tomy with a delightfully creepy theme. Two teams compete in a grim struggle for survival where their brains are both the means of salvation – and the forfeit for failure.

Two Frankenstein monsters stand at the end of a castle turret, facing a gruesome-looking piece of equipment at the other end. This is the Brain Drain, and it will literally suck the brain out of any unfortunate monster who strays too close.

By answering questions correctly you can stop the progress of your monster and start the other one moving. The questions are simple (‘One spider, one black cat – how many legs?) and at first it all seems rather easy. But as your monster progresses along the turret the pressure begins to mount…

Suddenly, what should be an easy question can get you flustered, and if you get the answer wrong you don’t get a second chance – you have to try another question while your poor monster trundles ever nearer to the Brain Drain.

Finally, no matter how quickly you answer, there won’t be time to stop the Brain Drain from indulging in a light snack before bedtime.

The secret of this enjoyable game is how ridiculously flustered you become (adults and children alike!) as the inevitable end draws near. The game will work perfectly well with just two players, but is a little smoother with a third person acting as question master. Teams can also play, with members taking it in turns to answer and there is lots of potential for personalising the game by writing your own quiz questions.

It adds up to a lot of spooky fun – and that’s always a hit with children.

Durability: 4/5
Longevity: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Score: 80%
Conclusion: A light-hearted quiz game that puts your brain to the test – and then sucks it out.