Picking toys is not easy and I would know being a Mom of three young. Ebeanstalk, a toy website dedicated to selecting fun, safe learning toys and 5 year old toys, has helped me find the perfect toy for my family's needs. I have partnered with them in helping them pick those toys, giving them my perspective. They recently sent me Sherlock from Playroom Entertainment, who makes great educational toys.


About the Game:

As Sherlock goes around and searches the clues, every player tries to remember each of the eight objects hidden in a facedown circle of cards. Then, Sherlock travels from one card to another. Each time Sherlock stops at a facedown card, the player has to remember which object is on that card. Sherlock continues to move, as long as the player guesses correctly. If Sherlock travels to a face-up card, then the player gets to keep that card. The first player to collect six cards wins!

I was a little hesitate to introduce the game to my 5 and 6 year old, waiting for the perfect time that my toddler was either napping or busy with his own agenda. Card games are so difficult to play around my 2 year old because he wants to play "Hurricane" as soon as he see cards perfectly lined up. Tell me you know what I mean?!

So, when that perfect time arrived I called my older kids to the table and announced we would be playing a new game. WOO HOO!

Big Mistake.

It took my Momma Brain about 10 minutes to read the directions of how to set up and play the game. My children were breathing heavily, anxiously ready to dive right in to play.

So, note to you: Read instructions PRIOR to gathering everyone to the game table.



That being said, what did we REALLY think of the game? Well, we've always enjoyed Memory card games, but this is slightly different. It's Memory, with a twist!

Sherlock is perfect at helping improve short term memory skills in young children. It also teaches them direction and counting skills. My 5 year old is starting Kindergarten this year and definitely needs those skills as she starts a whole new chapter in her life.

During the Summer months, our Wii game system is in CONSTANT use, however, the day after we played Sherlock my children woke, not begging to turn on the Wii, but asking if they can play the Cool Detective Card Game! They definitely had fun playing and appreciated this new Memory game.

I liked the fact that it comes in a box with a compartment that keeps cards snug. When you buy other card games such as Skip Bo or Uno, you receive the cards in a flimsy box that gets torn up each time you try to force all the cards back in. The packaging is a major plus for me, since I'm usually the one to pick up the game afterwards.

Momma Improvements:

There are a few things I'd change about the game, including:

-The cards are really stiff. This could be a plus being that little hands can't tear them easily, but it's almost impossible for parents to shuffle them to re-start another game.

-The Price ($19.95) is a little steep for a card game. I, for one, wouldn't initially buy this game. I don't think I've ever paid that much for cards, however, seeing the kids and how excited they were I'd think twice with other games introduced by Playroom Entertainment.

All in all, my children enjoyed playing Sherlock and it will definitely be a staple in our Family Game Nights.

Buy It

You can find Sherlock and other similar educational card games at Ebeanstalk.com. Sherlock retails at $19.95 plus shipping and handling.

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**EDITORIAL CORRECTION**

Thanks to this review, Playroom Entertainment (the makers of Sherlock) realized the pricing was listing incorrectly on the website. It was listed at $19.95 at the time of this review, but the REAL price is $9.95. It definitely makes me re-think the statement I made earlier of the price being steep!