OKIDO Which Way? coding game review

We were sent the OKIDO Which Way Coding Game so we could review it!

Coding is a basic literacy in the digital age, and it is important for kids to understand and be able to work with and understand the technology around them. The OKIDO Which Way game aims to teach children the top four coding skills.

Coding is how we communicate with computers, and what we use to build and run websites, apps, video games, and more. Learning to code is like learning how to speak and write in a particular language; a computer’s language. Coding helps children with communication, creativity, maths, writing, and confidence. And, it’s a skill that will help them get a job in the future; according to Code.org, 71% of all new STEM jobs are in computing, yet only 8% of STEM graduates are in Computer Science.

But, of course, although it’s a digital skill, you don’t need to use a screen or fancy technology to learn or practise coding! This OKIDO Which Way game is a great example of how you can learn coding offline.

What’s in the box: OKIDO Which Way Coding Game

Inside the box you will find;

• Magnetic gameboard
• 16 magnetic tile pieces
• Mission wheel
• Magic car
• Spare batteries
• Screwdriver
• Instruction book with a score sheet on the back to help keep track who is winning.

Before you play you will need to take the pull the little bit of card separating the batteries out of the Magic car.

The aim of the game

The aim of the game is to get the magic car from the starting point to visit Messy’s friends around the gameboard.

Define the mission

To do find out where you need to go to, first you spin the mission wheel. There are difficulty ratings on the wheel, but as it’s a spinner, I’m not sure what difference it makes – it just makes your go longer as you visit more places in a ‘hard’ spin versus fewer in an ‘easy’ mission.

Plan the route

Next, you plan the route. Noah, 4, did this first every time, whereas James, 6, got on with putting the magnetic tiles down to mark the route. Noah came up with some imaginative ways to get to the friends’ houses, while James went the most direct route.

Code the program

Now you use the tiles to mark out how the car will get to the next destination. We didn’t realise until the second time of playing this game that you probably only use the bridge piece over the existing bridge drawn on the map. You can play it any way you like, I think!

Test the route

This is the fun part! You switch on the magic car and it drives itself along the black line of the magnetic tiles marking out the route. Will Messy reach his destination?!

What did we think?

Well, to be honest, I’m not sure how this is a game. Although it comes with a scoresheet, we haven’t used it. It’s a game of chance if you use the spinner to decide where you’re visiting next. If you decide the winner is the first person to visit all the friends then you could be playing for a very short time or a very long time, simply because you might revisit several friends and never get to the last.

We were also slightly thrown by the instructions the first time we played. The instructions say that you need to turn all the tiles face down, and the one to find the pink tile goes first. Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell you to turn them back over, or divide them up, or why the pink is a special tile (it’s not).

The boys, Noah especially, really enjoyed it as an independent activity. They enjoyed spinning the wheel and completing the challenge alone. Together they weren’t competing and they’re able to do this without needing assistance from me or each other so they weren’t really working as a team.

We have played this fairly often – it’s a very quick activity to set up and keeps a child occupied for long enough if you want an indoor screen-free thing to do!

We came up with some other ways to play this game to make the fun last even longer!

Other ways to play OKIDO Which Way game

• The box says the game is for 1-4 players. You can involve more people by dividing the tiles among the players. Spin the mission wheel to find out where you need to go. The players plan the route together and then place tiles in turn until the car can drive from A to B. If you don’t have the next piece you can take one from the pool in the middle (if there are any left) or you miss a turn.
• Set a timer for each person’s turn. The usual steps need to be carried out as quickly and successfully as possible. The winner is the person who manages to complete the mission in the least amount of time.
• See how far you can get in a set amount of time, say 2 minutes per player’s turn.
• Change the wheel to numbers (perhaps 3 to 24). Give each of Messy’s friends a number (1 to 8). Spin the wheel and see which of the friends you would need to visit to add up to make the number you spun!

Thanks to OKIDO for sending us the coding game Which Way to review.

Buy OKIDO Which Way game here! Current RRP £30.00.