Customer Reviews

Radica 20Q Artificial Intelligence Game - Colors may vary since the item may come in 3 different colors

5 star:		(217)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Radica's 20Q is among the most amazing and enjoyable gadgets I've come across in quite a while. A handheld version of the website 20q.net (try q.20q.net if you have trouble getting online), this little doodad will ask you 20 questions to narrow down what you're thinking of (if its first guess is wrong it will ask another five questions and take a final stab at it). You can answer yes, no, sometimes, or unknown, and it pays to go with your first reaction to the question (Can it be used for recreation? No ... well I guess somebody could, but not usually and they really oughtn't ... so is that sometimes or unknown? Hmmmm). Its success rate is astounding. It's not hard to baffle it if you pick something totally obscure, but I've found it's more fun to lose to the machine than to win. Among the disparate things it's beat me on are: birthday cake, pirate, badger, oven, buffalo, carrot, fan, lion, key and flashlight.

I gave several as gifts before I picked up one for myself (you can only play with one in the store for so long before the clerks start glaring at you), and I expect Santa will be giving away a few this December. My 4-year-old son enjoys playing with 20Q, too - I read off the questions and help him think through the answers (he knew a lion was dangerous right off, we had to discuss whether they're brown or yellow).

My only complaint is that the animated "trash talking" gets old fast and there's no way to turn it off. The many pros of 20Q, however, far outweigh this minor con. The small buttons might be a problem for some people. You can control how fast the text scrolls across the screen (your only defense against the trash talking is to make it go by faster). Colors I've seen it available in are dark blue, red and orange; the plastic is transparent, so you can see the electronic brain inside (not that there are any flashing lights or electrical arcs to make it interesting).

If you're looking for a great gift for yourself or someone else, you can't go wrong with 20Q.

This is quite possibly the best $10 I have ever spent ($10 at Target, so buy it there!) I bought it on a whim and lost myself in it for hours. I then showed it to a bunch of teenagers at my church and they shrieked with delight at its ability to discern what you're thinking. My son and I chose "parachute," "fart," "Frisbee," "telephone pole," "chainsaw" and "bellybutton," to name just a few, and it guessed each one. WILD! It's actually no mind reader -- it merely uses the process of elimination to determine what word you've chosen -- but nevertheless, it's so cool and so fun. Its database is HUGE, so go ahead and try -- just TRY -- to stump it! The only time it goes wrong is when it asks you questions that don't help it out enough. For example, when we chose "soldier," it guessed "pirate" and "monster." LOL! ONE SUGGESTION, Radica: I tried to make 20 Q guess ITSELF, ("Is it ME?") but the closest it got was a GameBoy and a Rubic's Cube. So, Radica, I suggest when you manufacture your next batch, you include the toy itself (20Q) as a solution! I LOVE THIS TOY! I will take it to school (I'm a teacher) and use it as a time filler. It is tooo funny. BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT!

We take this to nearly every party we attend, figuring it'll liven things up, if needed...and ti works like a charm everytime, sparking conversations and amazed laughter.
Lets face it - some parties rock, others are just plain dull. People click or they don't, the food is so-so...and you stand there, wondering WHEN you can poiitely leave. But with this toy, you have an automatic conversation starter and there are few people who don't want to try and stump it (most won't succeed). Lat time we used it at a rather staid gathering and before long, people were chattering away, hovering around this gizmo, offering suggestions, "Try this word"...etc.
Kids, of course, love it too...when they get a chance at it.

What an amazing little thing. When I realized I only paid $8.00 for the best toy under the tree, I felt a little foolish. It hasn't been stuffed into a stocking yet but has been played over and over again. Not by my 12 year old son who I bought it for but by my 17 year old daughter, her friends, and I must admit, by me. The biggest fascination for me is wondering how they do it. The questions asked don't seem to pertain to your item until the end when it guesses correctly. On 10 items, this baby guessed 9 correct in 20 questions and needed a few extra questions to guess the 10th. The bad part about this "toy" is I had to go out and buy more for some of the older kids on my list. Some being in their 20s I might add. It's just too much fun. It's so nice to see a 2006 Toy of The Year Award that actually earns the title and costs under $10.00. You just can't beat it!

20Q is very fun and extremely smart. You think of something for example an object, animal or thing. 20Q will then ask you twenty questions and try to guess what you were thinking of. Good luck trying to stump 20Q, you are seriously going to need it, just when I am thinking that It wont guess what I am thinking of it does! If you are into handheld games and like the game of 20 questions than this game is for you!
The game itself fits in the palm of your hand and comes in different colors. What is nice about this game is that you can change the speed that the questions scroll across the screen. Also, the questions are easily read in the dark. You also have the option of turning off the sound too. This game is great for just passing the time or in the car too!

My father-in-law is an eccentric man who is very difficult to buy for. He has been disabled for sometime and was absolutely fascinated by the games on his cell phone. I was looking for something in that vein and thought this may do the trick. HE LOVES IT!!!! He very rarely stumps it and sometimes it makes him belly laugh. Even better is the side effect my mother-in-law gets--- occasional peace and quiet!! Greatest buy ever!!

The people who gave this a bad review must have been selecting non-existant things. My husband and I tried this in the store after reading the reviews, picked an animal, and were shocked that it guessed. We immediately snatched up all they had and will be giving these as gifts to all our adult friends (over the age of 35!). Granted, I'm sure there's a chance you can beat it...but if beating out a $12 game is your goal in life, then select something else. We found this to be captivating and mesmerizing and, for the price, an excellent gift for anyone who likes "techy gadgets."

Not just for the kids...this thing is smarter than you think. I keep it in my purse to play with while waiting for a table at a restaurant, or waiting anywhere, in the car, RV or at home. The only problem that we encountered was when the sun or light is shining right on it, it is hard to read the screen and sometimes the dots go out, but for the price, it can be easily ignored or replaced. We thought that we could trick it by answering "NO" to everything and seeing what it came up with...and it answered "Nothing!" That was the truth! We did not think of anything. We then tried answering "Yes" to every question and it answered "Everything". This thing is very surprisingly smart. It occasionally does not guess it correctly, but usually it is how the people are answering the questions that determine the outcome.

This is a great device for the whole family, especially for the holidays. For those that have never seen or heard of one of these devices, it is incredibly fun. Radica has implanted the program into a very durable, sphere-like casing that has a very long-lasting battery life. The device is very simple and easy to use, but I did wish they offered the TV and Movie versions like they do online. And like always, you have to have a true understanding of what the object, or thing is, or the computer won't be able to guess properly.

For a small taste of what this device can do, there is an online version, just google "20 Q" and it should be one of the first options. This is a great stalking stuffer and will be a great conversation piece for years to come.

I was totally caught off guard how amusing this toy was going to be. The first word I had it guess was brick, it had no problem getting that one. OK enough with the easy ones, I thought of diploma and 20 questions later it said I was thinking of diploma... I was hooked; even the way it asks questions is counterintuitive and makes you think it's not going to get it correct.

Well worth the money...