Jumanji Replica Board Game

I felt so lucky when I found the Jumanji Replica Board Game on sale. The kids and I love the movie, and thought it might be creepy spooky fun to play the game in the safety of our dining room. We opened the box, read the simple instructions, and in no time we were playing JUMANJI!

Jumanji the Movie

For those of you who haven’t seen it, Jumanji is a Robin Williams movie about a board game that comes to life in a very destructive way! Alan and his friend Sarah find the game, and sit down to play. When they roll the dice and draw cards, live animals appear and wreck havoc on the house! Then worse, Alan is sucked into the game… and lost to the jungle. Flash forward 26 years, Peter and Judy Shepherd find the game and start playing. When Alan, now an adult is released from the game, they realize they have to finish playing, despite the dangerous Lions, Monkeys and even Rhinos that come out of the game to tear apart their town!

Jumanji Replica Board Game

Playing a game based on a movie and hoping that it will be just as exciting is a great way to set yourself up for disappointment. I know, I know…. there was no way that Monkeys would be swinging from the chandelier while we were playing… but still, I was hoping for a bit more excitement.

The game comes with a big tri-fold board, a stack of danger cards, 4 pawns, a timer and several dice… one with numbers, the other four with symbols. In the center of the board is a card reader.

The rules are simple. Roll the numbered die, then move your pawn along the path to reach the center. If you land on the 5 or 8 square, you have to wait for other players to roll either a 5 or 8 (and you move back a space every time they don’t). If you land on a Rhino, you get block another player by a Rhino.

If you land on a blank space, you draw a card and slide it into the card reader. Then you read the poem (like the movie) and let everyone know what the secret rescue item is…. The other players now have 8 seconds to roll their secret rescue item die as often as possible to get either the right symbol (saber, rope, raft) or the timer symbol to rescue you. If they do, they get to move ahead the number of spaces on the card. If they fail, the card goes into the “DOOMSDAY Grid” on the side of the board. (If this board fills up, game over).

There is also a danger circle where everyone has to be saved from the dangerous animal, or they all move back one.

The winner is the first person reach the center circle, with an exact roll, before the Doomsday Grid is filled.

Slide the Card into the card reader.

Who Can Play Jumanji

Jumanji is for people age 6 and up, and can be played by 2 to 4 people. Truly, this is a game for kids, or for young families. It’s not a game of great skill… it’s all luck of the draw and dice. My 13 year old was bored after one game… but I can see her 7 year old self LOVING it. I also think this game would be best if played with four players. Having more people involved in playing would make the dice rolling much more exciting. (Plus, as my daughter pointed out… why would she want to roll a dice to save me?)

Do I recommend the Jumanji?

I honestly think the Jumanji Replica Board Game would be a lot of fun and enjoyable game for kids 12 and under. It’s simple enough for them to play without parental help, yet parents CAN play without going nuts with boredom.

 Jumanji The Game

Jumanji Board Game for Sale

The Jumanji Replica Board Game is out of print, but that doesn’t explain why it is wildly expensive on Amazon. You can buy the game for much less money on ebay.

You can also find the book by Chris Van Allsburg, and the movie on Amazon… for a much more reasonable price.

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 Jumanji 30th Anniversary Edition Jumanji (Collector’s Series)

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