Remember all those outdoor activities and pastimes you did as a boy. What happened to them? Take a trip down memory lane....

Collecting conkers, the rules of cricket, making a catapult and girls!  This fantastic book is a must for all boys and their Dads, with wonderful activities, projects and descriptions about the things boys should be doing.  Forget video games and computers, learn how to grow copper sulphate crystals in a jam jar!

This book will really take you back to those halcyon days of never ending summer holidays, endless hours outside in permanent sunshine!  The book isn't just for boys either; Dads will begin a journey of complete nostalgia.  There is so much wonderful information that just doesn't get passed down father to son anymore due to our hectic lifes, television and the influence of technology and computers.  My son became a complete conker addict and after collecting pounds of these brown, shiny treasures we went through the age old processes of hardening and playing this forgotten playground game.  The shame of this book is that it reminds you of what our kids are missing out on - conkers would never be allowed in the playground of a health and safety conscious British primary school.

The book is written in a conversational style that smacks of correct grammar with a "Boys' own" style vernacular.  You become completely drawn in by the magic, secrecy and intrigue of some of the projects.  The article on secret inks is particularly special in that not only do you learn how to produce hidden ink letters but it also gives you hints on how to relay these secret messages to your spying colleagues.  I just couldn't wait to send Granny our secret code!

The history items remind us of all the tales we used to see while flicking through encyclopedias.  The seven wonders of the world, the Patron Saints of Britain, the laws of cricket and the origin of words are but just a few of the topics covered in the book.  Interspersed amongst the more educational chapters are great classics like how to build a go-kart, coin tricks, growing crystals and marbles.  There is even a chapter about those mystical creatures called girls.

I bought the book for my son after reading a newspaper review and have probably read it as much as him.  I only hope that Conn and Hal manage a sequel - who knows where it might end?