Scene It?: The Simpsons

Scene It?: The Simpsons is one of a series of DVD board games in the Scene It? series and, as the title suggests this is based on trivia from the cartoon TV show 'The Simpsons'. The main game can be played by four player/teams, there is also a 'Party Mode' in which the game plays an endless loop of questions, each question is timed and players just shout out the answer, scoring is optional and the board is not used.

The box contains; a DVD in a card slipcase; a folding game board; 175 trivia cards in an open topped card container; 16 'Buzz' cards; four quick reference cards; four player tokens (called 'movers'); instructions; and two dice - one which selects the question category and one standard numbered die. In this edition of the game the four tokens are metallic and represent a Squishee soda, the cooling towers of the Springfield power plant, a television set and a three eyed fish.

The main game follows the standard format of all Scene It? game with minor changes to the names and some parts of the rules. All the game's instruction screens all have an actor delivering the voice-over information and the footage from the show has sound too, however none of the DVD questions are read out to the players. Questions are timed, with the default for the trivia questions being thirty seconds though this setting can be altered via a main menu option.

Scene It?: The Simpsons is played on the standard Scene It? 'flex-time' game board so-called because when there's not enough time/interest to play a full game it can be folded, thus reducing it's size so that a short game can be played. The players must travel round the board to the 'WIN' area where they must answer an 'All Play To Win' challenge. If they are successful they win the game, if not they move to the outer Final Cut circle and must successfully answer three DVD challenge questions to win. It is possible for two players to answer an 'All Play To Win' question simultaneously, in which case the DVD Tiebreaker question/challenge is used.

As with all Scene It? games two dice are used, a six sided die that determines how far the player moves and an eight sided die which determines the question category the player will face. After the player has rolled both dice and moved their token they are asked a question, if successful they take another turn and continue to do so until they make an error. Players move before they attempt a question, the type of question the player will face is determined by the eight sided category die, the options are;* 'Buzz Card': If the player rolls this symbol on the category die then they pick up a Buzz card and follow the instructions which means moving forward or backwards two spaces after which their turn is over.

• 'My Play': This is a DVD challenge in which typically a clip from the show is shown after which the player is asked a relevant question such as Name the movie/actor/character.

• 'All Play': There are two All Play symbols on the category die, a question is asked and any player can answer, again (if two players shout the answer simultaneously then there is a DVD Tie Breaker option.. The types of questions asked include;

  • Worst Movie References Ever: Where the game shows four stills from an episode are shown one at a time and the players have to name the movie being parodied
  • Springfieldians: Here four on-screen clues to a Springfield character are revealed one at a time
  • Pattie and Selma's Eye Test: Two pictures are shown side by side and there's just one tiny difference between them.
  • Freaky Frame Fragments: This is a cartoon version of the pixelated picture puzzle that appears in movie based Scene It? games, various coloured rectangles within a picture frame gradually resolve themselves into a character from the show.
  • I Said Whaaa?: This is an audio question in which the players have to identify who's speaking
  • 'Round Springfield: In which a picture of one of Springfield's locations is slowly revealed
  • I Can See Your Doodle: Here a drawing on a sketch pad is slowly completed
  • Learn Your Lines: A classic Simpson quote is written on the school blackboard and players must shout out the ending
  • Where In The World Is Homer J?: Much like the movie parody question, four stills from an episode of the show are shown one at a time and the players have to name the location.
  • The Wiggum Files: Three clues to a Springfield character presented as a police rap sheet. With the 'All Play' questions, if the player who initially rolled the dice answers first and correctly then their turn continues. If another player answers first and correctly then they have the option of moving one space forwards or forcing another player to draw a Buzz card, control of the dice then passes to the next player.

• 'Trivia Challenge': Here a player other than the player who rolled the dice player draws a Trivia Challenge card and reads the question corresponding to the symbol on the category die. There are three categories of trivia question;

  • Eye on Springfield: Described as the 'Who, What, When & Why of Springfield these questions include the following examples "In 'Dumbbell Indemnity' what does Homer steal to help Moe keep his girlfriend?" and "The Channel 6 News helicopter is piloted by what Kent Brockman-hating reporter?"
  • The Lowest Form of Communication: These questions are about songs and dialogue from the show, example questions are "Complete this sign over the Springfield Dog Track...." and "In 'G.I. Doh' what does Cleetus say when he pulls the pin on a hand grenade?"
  • You Might Remember Me From..: These questions are about the films, books, musicians etc referenced in the show, example questions are "In 'Simple Simpson' who was the Pie Man's final target?" or "In 'When You Dish Upon A Star', Homer takes a gift basket from which real-life talent agency?"

• 'Players Choice': Where the player selects a trivia card or DVD category question of their choice.

If left alone for a while the game enters 'screen saver' mode. Both the main game and the party game are liberally interspersed with further clips from the show.