Interactive play system – ips

Interactive Play System (IPS) Hire - Light, Sound and Reaction Game

The Interactive Play System, or IPS, is an inflatable reaction game for two to four players. It's a bright green inflatable, branded "Interactive Challenge" across the top, with ten light-up spots set in raised holders and a scoreboard on its own stand alongside. The spots light up at random, with sound effects to go with them, and you score by touching as many of them as you can before they go out again. The spots are wirelessly linked to the scoreboard, which keeps a running total for each side, so at any point you can see it's red 15, green 8, that sort of thing. Each round runs for a minute, which is enough for a proper go without holding up whoever's waiting their turn.

There are three game modes built in: Light Hunter, Steal the Light and Back to Base. They change how the spots light up and how the scoring works, so a group can play through all three without it feeling like the same game over and over. It's mostly down to quick reactions and a bit of stamina, and you can run it one against one or as two teams of two.

It suits most ages, which is why it tends to do well at school sports days, end-of-term treats, Scout and Guide evenings, and corporate fun days where you want people moving about rather than sat in front of a screen. We've set it up indoors in a sports hall and outdoors on grass, and we've put it out as part of a team-building session more than once.

What you're hiring

• A green inflatable branded "Interactive Challenge", for two to four players
• Ten light-up spots in raised holders, wirelessly linked to a scoreboard on its own stand
• Sound effects and three game modes: Light Hunter, Steal the Light and Back to Base
• One-minute rounds, with the score shown for each side
• Suitable for all ages, indoors or out
• One standard 13amp domestic socket for power

Space and setup

You'll need a clear area of about 20ft by 20ft on reasonably level ground, with a normal 13amp plug within reach. Our own team delivers it, sets it up and checks it's running properly before they leave. For outdoor hire we supply an anemometer along with a written procedure: a competent adult takes a wind reading every thirty minutes, and at 24mph (Force 5 on the Beaufort scale) the users are evacuated and the inflatable is switched off. That's the protocol on every outdoor inflatable we send out.

What you get with the hire

The kit is ours and it lives in our workshop in Havant. The inflatable is tested every year by our in-house RPII inspector and PIPA-tagged for traceability, and PIPA is the only inflatable inspection scheme the HSE recognises. The electrics are PAT-tested annually. The person who turns up to set it up is one of our own staff rather than an agency casual, RPII operator and supervisor trained, first-aid trained, and enhanced-DBS registered, which matters when the booking is a school or a Scout group. We're VAT-registered, we've been hiring out event kit since 2002, and we carry £10 million public liability insurance, with the certificate and the risk assessment for the equipment available on request. If you're at a licensed venue we hold the additional cover for that as well.

We cover Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex and a good part of London on our own vehicles, and delivery, setup and collection are in the quote rather than added on afterwards. Send us the date and the venue and we'll come back with availability and a price.

Have a look at our other electrical games if you're putting a bigger fun day together.