Kids’ Game Review: ‘I SPY Build & Seek’

I SPY Build & Seek from University Games’s Briarpatch collection for young gamers adds new dimensions – literally! – to the classic search-and-find books. The I SPY books have delighted children and adult finders alike for decades with elegant, detailed photographs packed with eye-catching objects. I SPY Build & Seek continues the spying tradition but gives it a new angle, as players scan two-sided disks with the images on them rather than a single-sided page or two.

Building and Seeking

A game of I SPY Build & Seek begins with assembling 14 Build Disks into a tower by sliding them together on cutout joints. This can be done in any way players like, calling for creativity and ensuring that each game can be different from earlier ones. Players might arrange them one after the other into a wobbly chain, they may stack them upward to make a more vertical structure, or they could arrange them to circle back on themselves. When the disks are assembled, the tower is placed in the middle of the play area so that all players have a good view.

After the tower is ready, the real challenge begins. Players take turns flipping over the Seek cards to show objects matching the images on the tower. If players can read, they should read the phrase aloud, such as “I spy a cowboy hat” or “I spy a blue star.” While the words are helpful, the cards also show the exact image players are seeking, making it easy to recognize. The trick is to be the first player to find the object.

Because I Spy Build & Seek is on a three-dimensional structure, the object players are seeking may be right on top and easily found, but could just as easily be tucked away and hidden. Players should take a look along each side of the disks and, if possible, climb around to peek underneath. If no one can locate the object, they can agree to have the player who drew the Seek card rotate the tower, but usually someone will be able to search through at all angles to find it. When a player does find it, they call out, “I Spy!” and point it out to the rest of the players. That player collects the Seek card and adds it to their pile; the first player who has five Seek cards wins the game.

Fun for Everyone

I SPY Build & Seek is a search-and-find game for two to four players aged five and up. Games are usually speedy, lasting 10 or 20 minutes depending on how long it takes players to locate the items and perhaps even less for players with keen eyes and good memories for where they had searched before. With its straightforward rules and energetic gameplay, I SPY Build & Seek is also a good choice for family game nights or other groups with players of different ages since the coordination and observational skills are good practice at all times of life.