Skylands is in peril and Kaos has unleashed his most evil weapon yet – the Doom Station of Ultimate Doomstruction!
Our mission, if we chose to accept it, was to to join the Skylanders team at Activision HQ in Sydney for a supercharged day to celebrate the impending release of Skylanders Superchargers!
There was even a hint that the day would include supercharged jet boats across Sydney Harbour and Helicopters sky-high above the city!
Now seriously, how could you say no to that!?
My willing and able sidekick James (6) was keen to join me for our epic adventure and just like that, the challenge was set!
Our day started nice and early on the red-eye out of Adelaide on our way to our epic adventure that lay ahead in Sydney! Upon arrival at the Activision office we were met with some very excited kids, a room full of gaming consoles, light up seats and, of course, a big screen where we could watch the Skylanders action unfold!
CHALLENGE 1: Â Play the Brand New Skylanders Superchargers Game
To be quite frank, my son is only 6 and I have resisted chosen not to purchase a gaming console to this point as I would prefer his screen time be limited to iPads and TV. So when they asked if he’d like to be one of the first kids in Australia to play the new game, I was curious to see just how well he’d go. How hard can it be?
Next thing they’re unveiling all these clever looking toys that sit on a fancy plate in front of the TV! Essentially these toys connect to the game and bring the toy to life on the screen! Take it off and it disappears, add it on the plate and it’s instantly a character in the game. So clever! Best of all they’re really funky looking characters. Gone are the days of Space Invaders and Pacman – these characters have spunk, class and a whole lotta cheek! My first timer 6 year-old son took to the game like a duck to water. He was all over it and unlocking levels and flying through the game in no time. Â #kidsthesedays
Before we knew it he’d reached the water which (apparently) meant it was time to unveil one of the new Supercharger toys. Introducing Deep Dive Gill Grunt (the character) with his supercharged boat Reef Ripper. These are the underwater characters (a fish with a tail that actually moves in real life) and the character that weirdly looks like King Neptune on steroids!
The kids had a blast but soon enough it was time for Challenge 2.  OFF WE GO!
CHALLENGE 2: Â Survive the Adrenaline Jet Boat Ride on Sydney Harbour
Soon the coach arrived to take us down to Circular Quay for our next adventure … master the Jet Boat ride on Sydney Harbour. White knuckle turns, reverse throttle sprays and a whole lot of adrenaline-packed action! Quite fabulously too, the Sydney Marathon was underway so we clapped and cheered the runners on our way to the next action stop before boarding the boat. Naturally this is a pretty wet and potentially wild ride, so we donned our gorgeous purple capes and were set to go. How bad could this be? We took off under the watchful eye of their skilled driver and we were on and out in the Harbour. 3-2-1- SPIN! We held on for dear life as the boat spun around in a full 360 degree spin on the spot. Surprisingly smooth but oh we felt the force. Poor James held on like his life depended on it and once the boat had come to a stop everyone stopped screaming/squealing/praying he let out a big hurrah! What a way to see the gorgeous Sydney beaches! After 10 minutes or so we returned to the port and alighted from the boat (much to the relief of my white-knuckled sidekick). Poor boy, he was a trooper and did so well. I had a blast but did end up feeling somewhat concerned he may bring up his breakfast after a short while! Lunch was strategically announced (thankfully after and not before the boat ride) and after hearing the news, James’ face lit up! So we headed back to the coach to take us back to Activision HQ and replenish our energy stores. It was a lunch of champions! The kids were in heaven and it was gobbled up so quickly. Sandwiches and Baguettes, Fruit Skewers, chips, lollies and chocolate recharged even the most depleted Skylander’s energy bank. The kids played the games a little while more until it came time for Challenge 3.
CHALLENGE 3: Â Ride Sky High Over the City in a Helicopter
I mean, who’s going to say no to a fabulous challenge like this?! Most in the group hadn’t even been in a helicopter before (and it’d been years and a distant childhood memory for me!) as we headed out to the Sydney Heliport for some chopper action! Given we were flying home that arvo, we were fortunate to be one of the first to ride and I tell you the anticipation in the air was ELECTRIC! We couldn’t wait to set off high above the city and catch a real bird’s eye view of this fabulous city!
I put my hand up rather eagerly for the front seat alongside our trusty pilot with James in the back with our two prizewinners from Cartoon Network. We were pumped and once our obligatory safety training was complete, we were ready to go. O-M-G I cannot begin to explain the feeling (and the views) as we took off across the runway at Sydney airport and took hold across the sky! Maybe I’ll let some pics do the talking … simply incredible! 
We swept atop the city, across the harbour, taking in the stunning bays and scenery. 
What I did think was pretty spectacular was this stunning view of the rain shower coming down over Manly – definitely a bird’s eye view! 
Next we came out across the heads and then hugged the coastline as we passed Sydney’s famous beaches … and along the fabulous coastline! Watson’s Bay, Vaucluse, Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte,  Coogee … the views just kept getting better! Before we knew it we were tracking back towards the airport and our ride was coming to an end. Not before, I might add, we felt totally exhausted, overjoyed and really felt like we had had a truly action-packed and adrenaline filled day! James was almost asleep by the time the helicopter hit the ground again and it reinforced for me that my supercharged sidekick was all tuckered out and our flight home was calling. Oh what a day! Thanks a bunch to the team at Activision for flying us over for the day, we had an absolute blast! James couldn’t get the smile off his face and hasn’t stopped talking about it since!
- Playstation 3
- Playstation 4
- Wii U
- Wii
- Xbox 360
- Xbox One
          For more info, visit the Skylanders Superchargers website.  Happy gaming!
WIN 1 of 2 SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS STARTER PACK
1. Â Watch the video below
2. Â Answer a few easy questions in the entry form below 3. Â You could be one of our two lucky readers to win a Skylanders Superchargers starter pack for your console!
