A few nights ago, I was surprised to hear my two 17 year-olds discussing the merits of Hasbro’s new Nerf blasters. While they love toys as much as the next kids, and, considering my career, have been brought up testing and playing with dozens of new products every season, it was rare for them to analyze merchandise pros and cons without my prompting. As any smart mother of teens knows to do, I kept my mouth shut and listened. “The Dart Tag FuryFire set comes with two blasters with auto-advance barrels that hold ten darts,” my son said with authority. “It’s a good deal if we split it.” (The set also has two scoring vests and vision gear, I refrained from adding.) “I’d rather get the Nerf N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS35 Blaster,” my daughter answered. “The drum magazine holds 35 darts and there’s nothing as fast and furious out there. And, “ she added with a smile,” it comes in a camo pattern.” (She’s all about fashion.) They went back and forth discussing pros and cons and I finally realized why they were so interested. They needed Nerf gear for the annual end-of-year AP-Assassination game of glorified tag, where a senior class full of high-achieving kids are pitted against one another to finally duke it out without “using their words.” (Note: the game is not school sponsored.) I hated to burst their bubble.

“Kids,” I said. “The Tag FuryFire and CS35 Blaster are part of the Nerf 40th Anniversary event. They don’t come out until the fall.” Their faces fell. “You could use the new Nerf N-Force Swords,” I suggested. “They’re soft, safe, and durable, and available now.” They both gave me “the look.” (Ouch.) I lost them as they began haggling again over the merits of the Nerfs they already know and love: N-Strike Recon CS-6 and the Longshot.

Gun play has never had a starring role in my house. Or in my product reviews. Yet, AP Assassination gave me pause to reconsider. Call it my Obama at Notre Dame moment: A chance to assess both sides of an argument. Guns are guns, whether they’re orange plastic and use foam ammunition, or the real deal. But games are fun. And this one involves heavy-duty strategy (the class salutatorian is the organizer), friendly competition, complex alliances, rules, the honor system, and luck. Exactly what I look for when I choose good games for review. Will playing AP Assassination train my kids to be real-life killers? No more than sitting it out will make them bona-fide pacifists. I took a yoga breath. Then reached deep into my bulging product closet and found two Nerf blasters I could spare. — Wendy Smolen
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