Everybody loves music, I know I do – the first thing I do after putting the kettle on in the morning is turn on the radio. So when it comes to music recognition or music trivia games they have always been a hit. You might love humming along with a tune or trying to identify a song from just a few notes, playing musical-themed games taps into our shared love of music, melodies and the memories they bring back. And that’s where board games with a music theme come in, capturing this energy perfectly, often leading to hilarious moments when players struggle to name a track they’ve heard countless times and probably even sing along to. Which brings me to Spot the Intro from Cheatwell Games. Spot the Intro takes this classic concept and transforms it into a lively board game that blends the thrill of music trivia with the competitive fun of racing around a game board – bringing the atmosphere of a musical quiz night straight into your living room.
Designed for two or more players / teams, aged 14 and up, Spot the Intro is vibrant, family-friendly board game that is perfect for different generations to play together, and it is packed with nostalgia. It thrives on the universal joy of music, making it an excellent choice for family game nights as well as parties. The goal is simple: be the first to make your way around the board by listening to songs, answering questions and ultimately reaching the finish line to answer the final questions to win.
In the box:
- 480 Spot the Intro Cards
- Playing Board
- 4x Playing Counters
- Rules / Instructions
To play Spot the Intro, as well as the game you will need some additional resources, namely a smartphone or tablet with internet access to scan QR codes. These special QR codes link to the songs featured in the questions, allowing players to listen to a snippet of the song before answering. Players can play as individual players or split into teams, ideally mixing ages to cover as many genres and decades as possible. Each turn begins with a player choosing a decade (from the 1960s to the 2010s), scanning the card and playing 15 seconds of the track (subsequent turns depend on what space players land on the board). Correctly naming the song title will earn the player one point, identifying the artist adds another and answering the bonus question secures a third point. Points won translate into how many spaces that player can move around the gameboard, keeping the pace of the game fast and competitive.
As the gameplay continues, players tackle questions from the decade that their counter lands on or choosing freely if they hit a multicoloured space, in their race around the record deck style gameboard. But reaching the finish line isn’t the end of the game – players that reach the finish line must answer all three parts (Song Title, Artist and Bonus Question) of a final question correctly to claim victory, or wait until their next turn to have another go at it. This clever twist ensures the game ends with a satisfying challenge rather than a simple race.
Overall, we think that Spot the Intro is a great game for music lovers, it’s simple yet effective. The board game style of play, combined with trivia and streaming music is fantastic. The challenge of trying to identify the song title and artist in just 15 seconds is excellent and the added time pressure makes it more exciting, as well as really testing your musical knowledge. And each card includes a bonus question to help boost your score resulting in faster movement around the board, adding an extra layer of competitiveness to the game to ensure that each round remains unpredictable.
With 960 songs that span the decades from the 1960s with the British Invasion (think The Beatles or The Rolling Stones) to the 2010s with its fusion of genres (with artists such as Rihanna, Drake and Billie Eilish), Spot the Intro superbly caters to all musical tastes and generations. Teenagers, parents and grandparents can all join in and play together, not only in a race around the board, but sparking conversations about old favourites and new discoveries while reliving cherished memories. The 15-second time limit keeps rounds snappy and the board’s design makes navigation straightforward. The only minor drawback is that scanning the QR code doesn’t take you directly to the track – it takes you to a page where you’ll need to copy and paste the link into your chosen streaming service. While it’s a small inconvenience it doesn’t detract from the overall flow of the game.
Spot the Intro is a funtastic party game that music lovers will love. It’s not a complicated game, is quick to learn, inclusive for generations of music lovers and is endlessly entertaining. It offers a unique blend of nostalgia, time pressure, trivia and laughter (with a few off-key singalongs thrown in). Whether you’re just a casual radio listener or a die-hard music fanatic, this game delivers plenty of fun that teenagers to pensioners will love and guarantees a memorable night of play where nobody feels left out (unless you really don’t like music of course).
Rating: 4/5
RRP: £20
For more information, visit cheatwell.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.