Sinclair User


Pictionary
By Domark
Spectrum 48K/128K

 
Published in Sinclair User #93

Pictionary

Having never actually played Pictionary, the board game meself, I didn't have a clue how to play this latest offering from those chaps at Domark. Nevertheless, I'd been informed by those who had that it was a right laugh and provides hours of giggles.

If you haven't played Pictionary either let me tell you how to play. You have a board with a track of coloured squares, each with a letter representing an subject - P for Person/Place/Animal, O for Object, A for Action, D for Difficult and AP for All Play (any kind of word).

Chuck the dice and move your counter to one of the coloured squares. Pick a card with a list of words on it and then draw your subject word within a time limit. If your team guesses the word correctly you get another go. Get from the start of the board to the finish before the other team and you've won.

Pictionary

Easy or wot? The computer version works in almost the same way. You can play it One player where the computer draws you piccies and you try to guess what they are by calling out your answer.

Once you've shouted the answer the computer then asks if you got it right or wrong and you have to enter Yes or No. So if it's just you and the computer and no one else to keep an eye on you, you can ruddy well cheat can't you - "oh yes I got that one completely right, another go for me, I think". Surely it would be a better idea if you could actually key in your answer, call me a moany old bag but it seems to make sense to me.

So that's the one player stuff out of the way. When you play with two teams (or three or four, if you like) it's time to don your artists smock, stick a paintbrush in the corner of ya gob and draw the piccies yourself. This is where things get a little tricky.

You see the game incorporates a wee drawing package and you have to use the cursor keys along with a palette of different lines and blobby bit to create your masterpiece. The problem is you have to do all your creating within two minutes, which is pretty difficult as it takes at least a day to master the drawing program. Not much scope for spontaneous fun... Dwayne: "Wanna play Pictionary Tel?" Tel: "Whoor yeah Dwayne", Dwayne: "Well borrow my copy, learn how to use the drawing bit and I'll see you in three weeks time"

To be fair, Pictionary does have a practice mode, which lets you spend as much time as you like sharpening up your pencil skills, so I suggest you master this first before attempting the game proper. So, what more can I say? Pictionary, is good fun and costs a lot less that the actual board game that weighs in at a hefty £20, but it's a lot flipping easier to sling the board on the living room rug and crack out the pencils, me thinks.

Overall Summary

Plenty of fun if you've time to master the tricky bits.

Alison Skeat

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