LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle Building Set 3862 | Collectible Toy for Kids & Adults | Perfect for Harry Potter Fans, Birthday Gifts & Home Decor

I purchased this product for my 8 year old's birthday. He assembled the game without help in about 1.5 hrs. Then we played it together with my 5 year old son. Both boys could understand and play the game. I did find that before hand an adult really would need to read thoroughly and analyse the rules. I think you could interpret them several ways. I found that it was best for me to come up with my own interpretation and additional rules to make the game a bit more enjoyable. The goal is to get your player to all the classrooms and complete all their homework and then return to their "house". You do this by either rolling #'s on the dice to advance your player or by rolling one of the several "magical" sides of the dice that can take you through secret passageways (that are imaginary) to get you to the next classroom. You can also block other players when you role certain items on the dice. We found that it worked better if we assigned several functions to a dice side, thus the player could choose to do something for themselves or use their turn to foil another player. That way you are not rolling over and over and can't do anything because you are rolling something that doesn't apply or benefit you in the game. Also, something we didn't do, but would be a nice addition would be to 'earn' the homework items. That could incorporate more learning--such as spelling, math or history/science questions that must be completed correctly to get that item. This would have been a very nice twist---but one that doesn't come with the game, but this mom is going to work on for next time. :) It is a good game and I honestly enjoyed playing it, especially when using the double meanings on the dice sides, so it took luck and some strategy.We've had this for about 8 months now and still pull it out to play every so often.Building -- it's very easy to build. We bought this for my six-year-old and he needed very little help to build the gameboard. He enjoyed seeing the small versions of the cat and the various characters from the movies (even though he's only watched the first movie).Time to play -- depending on how you play the game (it allows for some variation to the rules), it can take about 20 to 40 minutes to complete a round, perfect for an after-dinner, before bedtime-routine type of game.Learning how to play -- we read some reviews for other Lego games and there was some criticism about how difficult it was to learn the rules for those other games. This game is moderately easy to learn to play. The instructions are well-written and it took us one round to work out the kinks in our own heads on how everything worked.Physical aspects -- the game is pretty sturdy, just don't try to have it down on a carpet. If it's resting on a smooth surface, or a table, it stays together just fine. Otherwise, an uneven surface can cause the board to break apart, resulting in a mild amount of frustration.Educational -- it has a moderately high degree of strategy involved. The players move around attempting to obtain various items (schoolbooks, potions, animals and crystal balls), but opponents can block their path or completely change it. However, taking that action might also change the opponents path, so care must be taken. It's a good developmental game because it encourages everyone who plays to view the entire gameboard and not just focus on a single turn.Aging -- I anticipate this game could be quite fun for adults due to the strategic thinking required, so I don't believe this game will get old as the children grow.Overall -- great, sturdy game that can be played with just about any age. It's worth the price.This was an incredible find even considering price. The build only took 10 minutes with a helper, and was pretty straight forward. The game was definitely exciting but offered different levels of complexity and gave the players the opportunity to customize the game with their own rules. That part was not required, but really took the game to the next level when you get creative) The rule book even includes a few options to get you started. Gameplay with 2 players took 20-30 mins but could be extended with challenging rules to 40-50 mins. The castle and characters were very recognizable and even though the characters are a little smaller than traditional mini figs, it makes sense for gameplay.I purchased the LEGO Hogwarts Game (3862) (Toy) for my three daughters ages 6, 8, and 10. The game takes a little time to set up for the first time as you have to build the board base, various classrooms and hallways, and the living quarters for each character. The instructions are clear and the game is easy to build. The rules are simple to read and understand, but the game is engaging. The basic premise of the game is that each player must gather their homework from the various class rooms. It sounds easy enough, but during the game different squares/spaces in the game shift and rotate. There is strategy involved in trying to open paths for yourself while closing those for your opponents. You can go from almost collecting a piece of your homework to being trapped in a dead end. The game is easy to store. My wife and I enjoy playing this game with our kids just as much as they enjoy playing it. Great for Lego fans, Harry Potter fans, and board game lovers.I bought this for my grand daughter Amelia's 8th birthday, she loves Harry Potter and Lego so this was ideal, it is a good board game and can also be played with as a toy (provided the pieces are kept separate so it can be played as a board game again) lots of detail. I must admit it was slightly smaller in scale than I had expected and therefore some of the pieces were fiddly though Amelia did manage to put it all together herself, the actual characters could have been a bit bigger, but overall a great game and lots of funOur Granddaughter loved putting this together and we are sure will have lots of fun playing the game.PresentBrilliant game also good fun putting together. Both my 6 & 8 year old play happily without adult supervision, the rules are simple enough for them to understand. Also they can play their own imaginative harry potter games using this as the platformPerfect for any Harry Potter fan. My daughter loved it and repeatedly plays with it. Great details to the set, too.