Pictionary for Wii is a great example of a game that uses THQ’s uDraw Tablet controller to provide an experience that the whole family can enjoy.

You’ll need to have the uDraw Tablet hardware in order to play this game, it won’t work with the regular Wii controls.  To play, you’ll control the on-screen cursor with the uDraw stylus, and you’ll make drawings with a fairly detailed set of options, such as cursor size, color palette, shape stamps and fill-in colors.

Pictionary relies on the honor system in order to allow the drawer to see their clue without everyone looking.  It asks everyone else to look away from the screen, and the drawer will use the stylus to reveal what it is they need to draw.  Additionally, when a team gets a wrong answer, whoever has the uDraw Tablet must tell the game that an answer has been given and whether or not it was right and wrong.  Although these are all a pretty basic part of a real-life Pictionary experience (or really any family game night), it does seem odd for some reason since everyone is staring at the TV, but it works great as long as no one tries to cheat, and we can’t imagine how else we might expect it to work.

There are two different levels of difficulty available in Pictionary: Adult and Junior.  The Junior is more appropriate for younger kids, but there are still some pretty difficult clues there.  The threshold for active enjoyment is probably right around 8 or 9 years old, and even then tweens might not be completely familiar with all the words they are asked to draw (I’m not even sure as a grown-up how I’d draw “Quartz” for example, but it’s there in the Junior difficulty level).  The game does allow players to pass words as many times as they want until they find something they are ready to draw.  Again, as with real-life board games, you might want to set ground rules about how much your family will allow.

The game offers players a Regular, Short and Shorter version of the game board in the traditional Pictionary mode.  Players will make their way around a board landing on different colored spaces. Each space represents a category of word, and if your team guesses correctly, you get to roll the dice and keep moving on.  Throughout the game, there are also “All Play” spaces, which offer the opposing team the ability to guess what you are drawing and win control of the dice.

The game-makers have also created an all-new mode called Pictionary Mania, just for use with the uDraw tablet.  It plays as a regular game, except instead of each space representing a different category, they now represent a different drawing challenge.  In one, you’ll need to draw clues while the screen is rotating.  In another, you can draw as much as you want as long as you never lift your pen.  Other modes include one where the drawer is asked not to look at the screen, or another lets players use only the shape stamps.  This is a very fun twist on classic Pictionary, and is especially good for teens and up, or for a party atmosphere.

Another interesting thing about Pictionary is the fact that you can really play with as many players as you’d like.  Because of the team-based nature of the gameplay, there’s really no limit to how many people can be on each of the four teams.  This is another reason why Pictionary for uDraw is a great game to play at get-togethers.

Pictionary for uDraw is a perfect get-together game that we recommend for families to with tween-age kids and up.  It’s possible that kids as young as 7 or 8 can get into the junior mode, but the clues there are still a bit difficult, so you may need to do a lot of skipping before finding words they can draw (or guess).  If you’re looking for a fun new game for your family or for a party-style get together, Pictionary for uDraw is a great choice that allows for small or large groups to let loose.

INFORMATION FROM COMPANY FACT SHEET:
Product Description
Play Pictionary like never before with the all new uDraw GameTablet.  Exciting new draw modes such as Shape It Up and Rotation Frustration turn the classic board game on its head.

With more than 3,000 clues and up to four teams that can play, Pictionary becomes the ultimate party game for all ages.  Artistic ability is not required to play, only a little imagination.  Using Pictionary  with the uDraw GameTablet will bring a whole new meaning to “quick sketches and crazy guesses!”

Key Features
• More than 3,000 Clues – Choose from traditional Adult Clues like Object, Action and Difficult or Junior Clues like “At the Zoo” and “Animal Houses.”

• Three Modes Of Play
o Pictionary – Play game show-style on a 3D game board.  A variety of draw tools, colors and brushes provide the freedom to sketching victory!

o Pictionary Mania – With seven new draw modes and a custom game board, Pictionary  Mania adds a whole new twist.  New game modes include: Get It Straight, Shape It Up, Rotation Frustration, One Line, Ink Limit, No Peeking and Off Hand.

o Free Draw – Utilize the drawing tools to create colorful masterpieces.