Hasbro Kerplunk

For the adults we all remember Kerplunk! Well, its popularity is evident as it has proven over and over again that it's a well-loved family game. And why not delight the kids by investing a cool tenner to keep them happily amused and it won't break the bank or the plastic!

And speaking of plastic, the game is a blue cylindrical tube on top of a blue base with four slots for the marbles. In the middle of the cylinder is where the little colourful sticks are poked. No, they are not to be used to poke little brother or sister with! So I wouldn't recommend it for the under fives. And finally the marbles!

The rules are plain and simple. Place all the sticks in the holes and then put the marbles in the hole at the top of the cylinder, easy, right! Between two and four players can play the game at once, the first person pulls out a stick and hopes that no marbles fall down, as he sweats as he pulls his stick out and sighs with relief when no marbles come down on his turn, if they do they come out into the tray. The next player moves the cylinder around to his slot and pulls out a stick.

The aim of the game is to get the LEAST amount of marbles in your tray! As the sticks deplete, the game gets harder and all of a sudden, wait for it ..

KERPLUNK! A whole load of marbles come crashing down!

Once all the marbles have vanished, the person with the most amount of marbles collected in his tray is the loser! And it's time to set it all up again!

The game lasts about ten to fifteen minutes and will keep the kids amused whilst the adults sleep off the turkey dinner! Although it's best to send the kids up to their bedroom to play it as it can be noisy with all the marbles clattering down!