A game that the whole family can enjoy, 'I Can't Spy' was developed, in a fit of twisted humour, by removing the basic premise of the popular parlour game 'I Spy', the premise that something is in view. Without this hindrance, 'I Can't Spy' is only limited by the imagination of those playing it, and as a result can become quite surreal. Don't let this put you off having a go - it's also a lot of fun!

How to play
The game requires at least 2 people to play, though a group of about 6-8 works better.

One person starts off the game by having a good, hard look at the immediate surroundings of the gaming area and picks something that they cannot spy (i.e. something that isn't visibly present at that position). They then say the phrase: 'I can't spy, with my little eye, something beginning with...' and then they say the starting letter (or letters, if more than one word is needed to describe it) of the thing that they can't see.

The letter (or letters) are the first clue that the rest of the group have as to what it is the chosen person can't spy. The second clue is that the person who can't spy it then has to do a mime to describe what it is.

Remember: a mime has no sound, only actions.

Armed with these clues, the rest of the party has to try and guess what it is that can't be spied. When, eventually, the identity of the something has been established then the group should have a quick look round just to make sure that it can't be spied. If this is the case then a successful round of 'I Can't Spy' has been played and it is now someone else's turn to choose something.

The level of intricacy of the un-spiable something is purely up to the person whose turn it is. They can choose anything they like as long as it's not visible from where the game is being played.

Some suggestions for things that may not be spiable are:

Basic:

• aeroplane (a)
• cat (c)
• teapot (t)
• trombone (t)

Complicated:

• bus driver with a moustache (bdwam)
• four horsemen of the apocalypse (fhota)
• farmer milking a goat (fmag)
• spam (s)

Bizarre:

• porpoising water giraffe (pwg)
• sheep with an aqualung (swaa)
• elephant on a ski jump (eoasj)
• Albert Einstein making pancakes (aemp)

Let your imagination run wild and have fun.