Gifted.  My boys were delighted to be sent the postal detective game for kids from Mysterious Mail.  They were intrigued when they had their first mail delivery of A Pharaoh’s Curse.  They really believed they had a real investigation to solve.  I hadn’t heard of this company before being offered the game to review but I think it’s a very clever idea!  The perfect way to coax kids away from screens and develop their investigating skills.

It is exciting for children getting their own mail.  It’s not something that happens very often here so it’s a cause for celebration!  They were so pleased when I explained to them, they would have three further mailings.  You can choose to reveal straight away that you nominated your child for the case or keep your identify a secret until the case is solved!

All the documents looked authentic it captured my boys’ interest straight away.  I really liked the attention to detail, things like the wax stamp on the envelope and the obvious time and care taken in developing the supporting documents.

Plus, there was a good variety, with maps, a photograph, faxes, letters, diary entries and a news article.   Extra bonus points that they included some Egyptian papyrus too!

Such a good game to expand your child’s detective skills as they figure out the case.  The documents also develop children’s vocabulary as they have plenty to read and interpret.  The picture below is just the first delivery!

Here are what my boys had to say:

Eldest aged 12

“Entertaining, sense of anticipation waiting for your mail, exciting finding the clues, documents looked realistic.  The storyline was a highlight and I would recommend it!”

Youngest aged 10

“Very fun and thrilling”

I don’t want to give away too much about the game as I think its nicer to buy it and give it a try yourself.  My boys enjoyed deciphering the messages in hieroglyphs and working out the map location.  The storyline had a good plot twist, bucketloads of suspense and a bit of a conspiracy.  But I am so pleased my boys managed to lift the curse and save the day!  I felt sorry for Professor Piffle, but I need not have worried as my kids had the case under control.

The last delivery had a nice extra other than the documents, which was a lovely way to end the game.  You can watch the video on their site if you want to know more.  But like I said I don’t want to give away everything here.

Mysterious Mail is the perfect gift for curious minds!  It costs £39.99 and is pitched for 7 to 12-year olds.  Siblings can share the delivery, so it works out even more reasonable!  If your unsure what to get the kids at Christmas this postal game certainly offers them something completely different!  You can order now and add a DO NOT OPEN UNTIL date of the 25^th of December. If you are looking for other ideas for Christmas gifts for children read my blog post.

There is even an adult mystery for the grownups!  However, I am not sure I am brave enough for that I know my husband would love it!  That’s something to consider if you don’t have any kids at home and want to get stuck in solving a case of your own.