Game Time! The Baby-Sitters Club Mystery Game Review

The Baby-Sitters Club Mystery Game Review

Year: 1992

Ages: 8+

Players: 2-4 (For the purpose of this review, there were 2 players)

Set Up Time: 1 minute

Playing Time: Took us 17 minutes.

Object: Uncover all the word clues and finish four baby-sitting jobs.

Review:
+ You get to play as your favorite Babysitter!

- In addition to the instructions being VERY lengthy they also refer to all the players as "her" and "she". Needless to say that the boy I was playing with was quick to point out that fact.
- The character's can't go to their own houses to make phone calls which makes NO sense. 
- All you are required to do is four baby-sitting jobs which only gives you four dollars
meaning that you can only ask another player four questions at the BSC meetings because after that you are all out of money and must run to pay phones (which apparently don't charge?!) and houses that you have previously or are currently babysitting at.
- There are 12 possible answers to the "Who" "What" "Why" and "Where" questions (that players get to pick depending on which question card you choose) and since you can only ask one question at a time this takes up the longest chunk of playing time.
- In the end you get a "Mystery Story" like this: The weird and lonely ghost took an old locked up bike because he was in love and wanted fame inside the cool messy attic.

Overall:
I honestly almost gave up playing this game while listening to the long list of instructions, which I'm assuming is why the suggested age is 8+. On the bright side you get to play as your favorite baby-sitter (Of course, I picked Stacey!) but the downsides greatly outweigh your choice of playing pawn. Between not having enough money to ask questions at the BSC meetings to having it take forever because there are so many possible answers that players could pick (12 possible answers PER question), made playing this game unpleasant. I know I played this game as a kid but I'm starting to think that maybe we just ran around the board and made up our own rules. In the end, if you enjoy writing silly sentences, have a telepathic mind to pick the other players answers and you are 8, it might be fun. Otherwise, save yourself the work and pick up an old Baby-Sitters Club Mystery book instead.

C-

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Previous Board Game Reviews:
- Aladdin: The Magic Carpet Game
- The Addams Family: Find Uncle Fester! Card Game