Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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356 of 363 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No Question - It's a Winner, September 22, 2004
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars
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.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Addicting and AMAZING! A PEOPLE MAGNET!, August 15, 2004
Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars
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!
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92 of 109 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great to have on hand at parties, works like a charm! , December 8, 2004
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars
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.
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