Bank Attack! Electronic Game Review (age 7+) Sent for review by John Adams Toys

Bank Attack cooperative family game is a new release from John Adams this Autumn and it really is an excellent game! 2- 4 players take the roles of a safe-breaking gang and have to work together against the clock in order to steal the loot. Suitable for age 7+, but plenty of fun even for us grown ups once the kids are in bed....

There's very little single-use plastic packaging, so I'm pleased from the start. Bank Attack! is packaged in a sturdy box which can be used for safe storage afterwards. You will need just 5 minutes to release parts from the sprue before first play and 3 x AA batteries, but it scores well for packaging and is pretty Christmas morning-friendly.

Inside the box are the Electronic Safe, 8 different tools (goggles, drill, laptop, map, flashlight, headset, explosives and gloves), 12 Plastic Gold Bars, 20 notes and Instructions.

The 12 Plastic Gold Bars (but really they are disappointingly yellow), go into the top of the safe before play, everything else goes neatly on the table (not in front of a player).

Players are co-op, you work as a team. To start with everyone chooses a role - Hacker, Money Man, Lookout or Explosives Expert and sits on the corresponding side of the safe. Choose a level of play and then follow the instructions given to you by The Boss.

There are 5 different levels to choose from by pressing a button at the correct time when directed. The skill level and speed of instructions really does change, so it's worth having a go at level 5 just for a laugh! There is a bonus 6th level for those who improve enough...

The instructions from the boss take the form of 4 different actions which use the cash and tools on the table - Grab, Pass, Use or Collect. Players have to carry out their tasks as quickly as possible to beat the inbuilt timer and avoid failure and arrest! It gets pretty frantic at times, especially towards the end.

Your bank robbing gang have 3 'lives' which are indicated by lights on the safe and lost by making the wrong move. If all of the lights go out, it's game over and all the alarms go off!

You can collect bonus cash prizes along the way, but if you manage to complete all tasks without losing 3 lives then something magical happens. The top of the safe raises up and all of the gold bars fall out... It's very satisfying...

Bank Attack! Is serious fun. It's a game you want to play repeatedly in order to become quicker and slicker, and beat the timer at harder levels. Each game only lasts 5 minutes, and set up takes seconds, so there's no frustration or wasted time. The game works well for cooperative teams and if someone is a little slower it's okay, because everyone else is right there to prompt them.

When you play with less than 4 players you can just have 2 or 3 team members, or you can take on 2 roles at once, and if you really fancy a challenge then you can try playing solo with all 4 roles. There's a lot of scope for challenging yourself, and it's always hilarious because at some point you won't know your torch from your explosives...

Bank Attack! is distributed by John Adams Toys and available to buy now priced £24.99rrp from all good games stockists, including Amazon (affiliate link below). I also have a copy to give away during October, you can find all of my giveaways listed here...

We were sent our copy of Bank Attack! for review. Amazon links are affiliate, which earns me a few pence as a thank you if you buy through my link, but never costs you a penny extra.