Product: Jr. scene it?
Reviewed By: Missy Grote
Date: November 14, 2004
Section: Game Reviews
Retail Price: $29.99
Dot Journal Price: $24.95

For most families today, the TV tends to be the central gathering place. The place in the home where everyone comes together to relax, unwind, and sometimes share a meal. Oftentimes, it is frowned upon that the TV has pervaded so much of our culture. Just recently I discovered an activity in front of the TV that could change that perception.

I am specifically referring to the family board game, Jr. scene it? Jr. which is played around the TV using a DVD player. In a nutshell, Jr. scene it? Jr. is a hip trivia game where teams compete against themselves or others to try to answer questions from scenes displayed on the TV. The game is packed with popular movie and TV scenes, visual puzzlers, movie trivia, musical artists, and athletes. Pop-culture trivia couldn’t be any more fun!

Setting up the game is a breeze! You can either read the clearly written directions or just watch a movie on how to play by putting the DVD in. In less than 10 minutes I was down with the game play and ready for my first opponent. The Flextime game board was a neat invention. Depending on how long you want to play, you can easily fold it in a way that it can expand or decrease. Knowing you only have a half hour, just fold the board up to the smaller circle shape.

If you are thinking the game sounds complex, think again. Developers of the game have thought of everything! After a trivia question is asked the ‘DVD Master’ (designated remote handler) selects timer, and a visual countdown will start. Thirty seconds? Twenty seconds? You decide! For times during All Play when correct answers are shouted out at the same time, selecting Tiebreakers will settle the score.

My only possible quam with the game is that it is intended for ages 10-adult. To me, that just naturally means to only include movies that are G or PG. A few of the movie clips I had seen (Bring it On, Road Rules) were rated PG13. Even though there were no objectionable movie clips, I do think that by only using G and PG movies, it would widen the playing field and make it more fair for children that are not allowed to see PG13.

This past week I brought the game over to a family dinner. To aid the parents, all adults had at least one child on their team. It had been awhile since the whole family could get together and play a game that everyone could participate in! When you get the game, I’m sure your TV will also become a source of entertainment and a place for making game night memories!