Garfield Lasagna Party

Garfield and all his friends, a game board, and players who take turns rolling the dice to progress, playing the 32 minigames. The format is exactly the same as Mario Party, but for a younger audience. Guaranteed laughs as a family. We liked being able to keep playing minigames without returning to the board. From age 5+ with adult help.

If you're looking for an immediately accessible game for inter-generational fun with everyone from toddlers to octogenarians, then this is the game for you.

You'll be familiar with the concept if you've ever played a Mario Party game. Like in many board games, there's a board and some dice. When it's your turn, you roll your dice to move along the board.

But be warned: once the die is cast, other players can then use items to change the course of the game. For example: the banana lowers the score of the throw, the eraser cancels the effect of whichever square you land on, and sardines let you roll the dice again...

The aim of the game is to win lasagnas, Garfield's favourite food.

After rolling the dice, you move along squares that contain surprises. Some award you items and money, while others let you teleport, move forwards, or send you back the way you came. The most important ones are those that give you a delicious lasagna.

We liked the cards you can play like in a game of Monopoly.

Then, at the end of each turn, you compete against other players in a minigame. The higher your score in the minigames, the more money and lasagna you'll earn. This means that it is equally as important to win minigames as it is to advance across the board. Because when the final turn is over, the player with the most lasagnas is the winner.

It goes without saying that this is a simplified take on Mario Party, with a single board and four characters. But don't hold that against it. We had a great time with the minigames, which are sometimes more fun than the Italian plumber's.

Our favourite part? The 32 minigames. They're varied, fun, and accessible.

What you can expect: throwing snowballs, slicing pizza with the same number of pepperoni slices on every piece, collecting cakes from a conveyor belt while avoiding chillies, and hoovering up insects...

But the real fun lies in the minigames that you can play straight away, in Challenge mode. In this game mode, there's no need to play the board game part of the game. Perfect for a quick blast!

Then there's Competition mode, that lets players organise a tournament with a predetermined number of minigames which are chosen at random and played in quickfire succession!

Our advice? The minigame that has you looking for items in Liz's veterinary clinic is harder for kids. Train them up before playing for real. The rest, though, require no special skills for kids aged 6+.

Family games need simple controls and a clear user interface, and Garfield Lasagna Party delivers in every game mode. What's more, the great tutorial and useful tips mean that every player knows exactly what to do. A fantastic family gaming experience that kids can pick up without any help, and they love it, too!