Grades K and up. Europe's 2003 game of the year! Develops logic and spacial perception while kids learn to be tactical. Players take turns placing pieces on their board, each starting from their corner. Each new piece must touch at least one other piece of the same color, but only at the corners! The goal is to get rid of all your pieces. The game ends when all players are blocked from laying down any more of their pieces. Includes one gameboard with 400 squares, 84 game pieces in four bright translucent colors, and an instruction guide.

Fun for both kids and adults, Blokus is a strategy board game that challenges spatial thinking. Bright colors and simple rules make it ideal for ages five and up, but adults will certainly be engrossed by this unique and challenging game.

Not Your Average Board Game
Blokus encourages creative thinking and has received a Mensa award for promoting healthy brain activity. The goal of this game is for players to fit all of their pieces onto the board. When placing a piece it may not lie adjacent to the player's other pieces, but must be placed touching at least one corner of their pieces already on the board. The player who gets rid of all of their tiles first is the winner and strategic thinking helps as you block moves from your opponent. Blokus sometimes comes to an end because there are no more possible moves.

Four players make this abstract game especially fast and exciting; however, it can be just as fun for two or three players. Blokus has come up with a number of different ways to play the game to make it more thrilling when playing with less than four players. Draft Blokus allows a player to use more than one color and Reverse Blokus reverses the entire game so that the person who places the least amount of tiles on the board is the winner. It can even be played in a solitaire version when one player attempts to place all of their pieces in a single sitting. A game of Blokus typically lasts a 30 minutes. As a practical feature, raised edges on the board help keep the tiles in place and allow convenient clean-up. This game includes 84 pieces in four vibrant colors, an instruction guide, and one gameboard with 400 squares.

Blokus is simple to understand, but the game's complexity is revealed shortly after everyone begins to play. It can be addictive, even for those not normally into abstract games. Blokus is a catalyst for spatial thinking, as players form images in their mind before placing the pieces on the board. Children and adults can play together for hours of competitive family fun. As Europe's 2003 Game of the Year, Blokus is adored by many and even played in professional tournaments.

What's in the Box
84 pieces in four colors, gameboard with 400 squares, and an instruction guide.

Once a piece has been placed on the board it can't be moved, so plan your moves carefully.

Adding to the game's challenges, each new piece must touch at least one other piece of the same color, but only at the corners.

A sleek upscale version of the classic crossword game! You won't have to work upside-down with this rotating board! And ridged letter spaces keep all those high-scoring words in place! It's easy to keep game pieces together ---board features built-in storage, plus drawstring bag for tiles! Handsome burgundy wood tiles rest on large letter racks with letter distribution counter! Includes new "shorter game" rules, plus a timer! For 2 to 4 players. Winner of the CLASSIC Award by Parent's Choice Awards. Ages: 8&UP

It's still hard to get a triple word score, the tiles are still made of wood, there's only one "X" in the whole box, and family feuds are increasing exponentially. But after 50 years, Scrabble has had a face-lift: a swivel base allows the board to turn so players don't have to work upside down, a plastic grid helps keep tiles in line, and a handy bag stores the letters when they're not in use. The premise hasn't changed at all--two to four players battle it out to make high-scoring words from seven little letters--so choose a dictionary before play begins to avoid ugly confrontations. --Lynne Sampson

Rush Hour is the mind-challenging game of pure bumper-to-bumper fun! Players set up the cars and trucks on a game grid to match one of forty color-coded challenge cards, and then try to maneuver the red car to escape the gridlock. Four levels of play range from beginner to expert. Measures 9"W x 8"H x 2.5"D.

Honk! Honk! It's gridlock and the little red car can't move. The player is a traffic cop in the Rush Hour Traffic Jam Puzzle where the objective is to get the red car off the road. To play, pick one of 40 challenge cards; solutions are printed on the back of each card. Then set up the cars and buses in a specified pattern on the 6-inch-square road grid. Move the vehicles one by one (obey those traffic laws!) until the red car can escape the traffic jam. There are four levels of difficulty. Kids can alternate turns with another player or just "play in traffic" alone. The game from Binary Arts received a national award from Mensa and is used in elementary school math classes. The design includes clear instructions printed on the sturdy box, which can be used both as a playing tray and for storage. The game cards stow away in a drawer in the road grid. This is a 1999 Parents' Choice recommended toy. --Marcie Bovetz

Take the challenge of building words anywhere you go. This Scrabble game travels in first-class style with an all-inclusive, soft-sided zipper case. The Folio Edition makes this word game easy to play, simple to put away and a snap to pack. Perfect for plane rides or road trips, this compact classic has tightly fitting tiles that won't fall out. You can even pack up in the middle of a game and come back to it without disturbing the tiles. Game includes zipper case with gameboard, 100 plastic snap-in letter tiles, four plastic tile racks, score pad and cloth leather pouch. For 2 to 4 players. Measures approximately 6.5" x 2.5" x 10.5" when folded up.

The rules are simple: try to build a row of four checkers while keeping your opponent from doing the same. Sounds easy, but it's not! The vertical strategy creates a unique challenge: you must think in a whole new way to block your opponent's moves! For 2 players. Game includes: grid, two end supports, 21 black checkers and 21 red checkers.

Connect Four is like vertical tic-tac-toe. Unlike tic-tac-toe, however (as the name suggests), you must get four checkers in a row. One player has red checkers; the other has black checkers. To play, alternate turns at dropping one of checkers down a slot at the top of the upright grid. The first player to get four checkers lined up in a row in any direction--horizontal, vertical, or diagonal--wins the game. --Alison Golder

Due to overwhelming demand, the Scrabble game with more spaces, more points and more tiles is now available with a rotating game board and raised grid spaces. 2 to 4 players.

This delightful game is simple and easy to play, even for children who can't read. Fun pictures help kids understand the rewards of doing good deeds as they climb up the ladders-and the consequences of naughty ones as they slide down the chutes. For 2 to 4 players. Game includes: game board, spinner with plastic arrow and 4 pawns with plastic stands.

Be the first to move your child-shaped playing piece from square one to square 100 on the Chutes and Ladders game board--but watch out! If you land on the square that shows you ate too much candy--Ouch!--you get a tummy ache and slide down a chute to a square a few numbers below. But if you end your turn on a good-deed square, such as helping sweep up a mess, you'll be rewarded by a ladder-climb up the board.

A fantastic follow-up to Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders is ideal for younger children who are still learning to take turns and just beginning to recognize numbers (the spinner stays in the single digits). It's also a gentle introduction to the higher numbers as players climb to 100 at the top of the board. And, thanks to all those chutes and ladders, it's got enough excitement to keep your 7-year-old on the edge of her seat. English and Spanish instructions are included; no reading is necessary to play. Chutes and Ladders is for two to four players. --Julie Ubben

Now players can experience the most current version of Monopoly with an electronic banking unit instead of cash. A truly fun experience which utilizes today's trend of a cashless society.

The Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition game combines the best of classic Monopoly with updated electronic transactions. As with the original version, players still operate with money, learn real-world economics, competition and strategy, try to stay out of jail, and try their best to get filthy rich. But this version has been updated to reflect changes in how the real world uses money: All transactions are conducted with Monopoly's new banking card system. Anyone from age 8 and up will enjoy this updated version of one of the world's most famous games. Uses two "AAA" batteries, not included.

Includes gameboard, electronic banker unit, title deed cards, chance and community chest cards, 6 debit cards, 2 dice, 6 modern tokens - Segway Personal Transporter, Baseball Cap, Altoids Tin, Space Shuttle, Flat-Screen TV and Dog in Handbag, 32 houses, 12 hotels and instructions. Anyone from age 8 and up will enjoy this updated version of one of the world's most famous games. Uses two "AAA" batteries, not included.

The Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition game combines the best of classic Monopoly with updated electronic transactions. As with the original version, players still operate with money, learn real-world economics, competition and strategy, try to stay out of jail, and try their best to get filthy rich. But this version has been updated to reflect changes in how the real world uses money: All transactions are conducted with Monopoly's new banking card system. Anyone from age 8 and up will enjoy this updated version of one of the world's most famous games.

Updated from the original game, the Banking Edition features updated tokens, money system, and more. View larger.

This version of Monopoly features bank card accounts. View larger.

Classic Fun with Modern Twists
Aside from the electronic banking, the basic rules of this game have not changed from the Monopoly everybody remembers. Tokens, houses, hotels, chance and community chest cards, cardboard property deeds -- if you've played the classic version, you'll know how to play. The board is different in how it folds up in the box, but once you spread it out, it's the same.

The tokens have changed to reflect today's culture. Instead of irons and racing cars, the tokens depict modern icons such as a Segway and a tin of Altoids. Instead of railroads, there are airports. The utilities are Internet service providers and cell phone services. Properties have also been updated -- from the upscale blue Times Square to the economy purple Texas Stadium. In this game, you can go to jail for identity theft or lose $1 million when a virus infects your computer network. And of course, property values are exponentially higher than in the original game.

The big switch, of course, is the electronic banking. Each player starts with $15 million in their bank card account, and the banker adds amounts (such as when the player passes go) or subtracts (such as when the player pays to get out of jail) by inserting the player's card in the plus or minus slot of the Banker Unit. When one player has to pay another player, the banker debits or credits each account as appropriate.

Monopoly for Right Now
The electronic banking is neat and easy to handle, and as an added educational bonus, the player who takes on the banker role will quickly become familiar with basic bookkeeping concepts. The bank cards operate more like debit than credit, so players will learn responsible money management, not how to run up credit card debt.

This version of Monopoly doesn't play significantly differently than the original. The game can still take hours to play, and the instructions offer several alternatives for those who want speedier play. The updates introduce a few elements of surprise along the way, but for the most part it's still the same great Monopoly that will provide the same kind of family fun with some surprising, up-to-date twists.

Pros

• Same basic game play, but with up-to-date references
• Electronic banking works well, easy to learn
• Teaches responsible money management
• Fun for both kids and adults

Cons

• Player customizations might not work with the new version
• Updated references will eventually become out of date, too

What's in the Box
Game board, electronic Banker Unit, 6 tokens, 28 title deed cards, 16 chance cards, 16 community chest cards, 6 Monopoly bank cards, 32 houses, 12 hotels, and 2 dice.

How do you get your team to say diamond, if you can't say baseball, ring, carats, jewel or engagement' You might say, "These are a girl's best friend. Hope is a huge one. The World Series is played here. Some are found in the rough." Get your team to say the secret word. Give suggestive sentences, funny phrases or even one word hints as clues. But don't use any of the words on the card. That's Taboo! Each time your team shouts out the secret word, you get a point. But be careful! Your opponents will be "looking over your shoulder" - making sure you don't say any of the Taboo words. If you do and they catch you, they sound the buzzer and score the point! It's unspeakable fun. Take our word for it! For 4 or more players. Game includes: 504 cards, card holder, buzzer, timer, score pad, and instructions. Requires 2 "AA" alkaline batteries (not included).

It sounds so simple: get your team to name common words without voicing a few choice descriptors. But could you describe a wristwatch without mentioning time, wrist, or clock? Taboo rewards those who think--and speak--fast. The team that correctly identifies as many words as possible in a minute (measured with an hourglass timer) wins. If a member of the opposing team, armed with the blaring buzzer, catches the clue giver using any of the taboo words, a point is deducted from the group's score. It's a good idea to separate people who know each other well, because their familiarity can be too great an advantage. If the clue is spinach, prompting with "Mom made this every Monday" just doesn't seem fair, though it is permissible according to the rules. Playing Taboo requires an AA battery and a sense of humor--you'll need them both! The timer is included. Taboo is for four or more players. --Leah Ball

There's a mystery person on your opponent's card. Can you find the matching face in the crowd' Start with a gameboard full of silly-looking characters, then ask the right questions to eliminate the wrong faces! If you're first to discover your opponent's mystery person, you win! For 2 players. Contents: two plastic gameboard trays, 24 mystery cards, 48 face cards and face frames, two score keepers, eight rubber feet and instructions in English and Spanish. Assembly required. Colors and product may vary.

A wonderful blend of deduction with a form of 20 Questions. Two players try to deduce the identity of their opponent's "Mystery Person." Using game boards with 48 frames apiece and an equal number of cards displaying character faces, players ask one another yes or no questions that help narrow the pool of possibilities. Through process of elimination, the identity of the Mystery Person slowly becomes evident. As kids' skill levels grow, their questions become more strategic, allowing them to solve the mystery faster and faster. The faces on the cards are cheerful and clever and designed to give subgroups among the 48 characters just enough similarities to challenge players. --Tom Keogh

The classic Game of Global Domination. A favorite for over 40 years! Includes 360 military miniatures.

Risk--the game of world conquest--features a tri-fold game board that is a map of six continents divided into 42 territories. It's a game of strategy as you battle to win by launching daring attacks, defending your territory, and moving across continents with your cunning plan! Includes five dice, 56 Risk cards, and six sets of armies that contain 360 miniatures. Play three variations: World Domination, Capital Risk, and Secret Mission Risk. This game will engage and challenge any player to join the ranks of world leaders! --Margaret Quinn

Can you predict what your friends will pick' When you're in the hot seat, which wild and wacky statements will your friends choose to describe you' More than 2,000 unique and funny phrases for hours of off-the-wall humor and side-splitting fun. For 4-10 players.

In this classic game of fortune, your goal is to dodge bad luck and make a buck. Along the way, you'll also earn valuable Life Tiles by doing good deeds, helping your community, or just taking a break from the rat race! Retire with the biggest fortune, and you'll win! Each space is a different adventure, so you'll get a whole new Life every time you play. What does Life have in store for you' Take a spin and find out! For 2 to 6 players. Game includes: game board, six plastic car pawns, plastic "people pegs", plastic mountains, spinner and bridge, MB money, 25 Life Tiles, deck of 36 cards, insurance policies, bank loans, label sheet and instruction sheet. Color of parts my vary.

Practice makes perfect in the game of Life. Try marriage, kids, and more. Will you go to college and take out student loans? Or join the working force and collect on payday? Will you go bankrupt, or earn millions in stock and real estate? Anything's possible with a spin of the Life wheel! A classic family game that can be a reality check--or just a fun time. --Margaret Quinn

Twister--the game that ties you up in knots! Spin the dial and move a hand or foot to the colored circle on the floor mat. Can you get there' Don't touch the mat with anything but a hand or foot! Lots of laughs! For 2 or 4 players. Includes spinner, mat and instructions. Instructions in English and Spanish.

Over forty years old and going strong! Soon after its release in 1966, Twister was made instantly popular when Johnny Carson and Eva Gabor played it on The Tonight Show. Such a simple concept, with so much potential for hilarity. The game includes a plastic mat with red, blue, yellow, and green spots; a spinner; and instructions. To play (as if you didn't already know…), two to four players face each other, with the plastic mat in the center. A referee spins the spinner, then calls out the body part and the color the arrow points to ("Left foot, blue," "Right hand, yellow"). All players, at the same time, follow the directions, placing the appropriate body part on a vacant circle. Players become increasingly entangled, until someone (or everyone) finally topples, and is eliminated. The last person standing—er, crouching—wins. If this doesn't bring families and friends (and celebrities) closer together, we don't know what does! Out-and-out fun. --Emilie Coulter

An internationally acclaimed strategy game, Othello takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. Simple enough for children, yet challenging for adults, it's great, fast-moving fun for the entire family. Choose to be black or white and strive to get the most discs flipped with your color face-up at the end of the game. White can turn to black and black can turn to white again and again in this constantly changing game. Includes: 64 reversible discs, one playing board, six playing board "feet" and instructions. For 2 players. Board measures 14.25"L x 10.19"W x 1.25"H.

For 4 or more players

Cranium is an amazing party game that brings friends and family together through 14 fun and riotous activities. You won't believe what your friends and family can do as your team hums, whistles, sketches, sculpts, acts, puzzles and even spells backwards to win.

Cranium's outrageous activities are organized into four card decks: Creative Cat will have you sketching, sculpting with clay and even drawing with your eyes closed. Star Performer asks you to hum or whistle a tune, impersonate a celebrity or act out a clue. Word Worm requests you unscramble words, spell challenging ones, guess definitions, fill in the blanks and even spell backwards. Data Head stimulates your gray matter by testing your knowledge of trivia with provocative true/false queries and challenging multiple choice questions.

Spell a word backwards, hum a tune, answer a multiple-choice question, draw with your eyes closed, and more when you play Cranium. Unlike games that focus on only a few skills, Cranium offers 14 talent-tapping activities designed to bring out the best in you and your friends.

Cranium offers 14 talent-tapping activities designed to bring out the best in you and your friends

Cards from four decks, color-coded to match each of the crazy characters--Star Performer, Creative Cat, Data Head, and Word Worm--describe activities that teams must complete in order to advance around the board. If you choose a Sculptorades card from the Creative Cat deck, for example, you might be asked to sculpt a hamburger from lemon-scented Cranium Clay while your teammates try to guess what you're creating.

To win the game, teams have to make it to Cranium Central--the large purple brain in the center of the board--and then successfully complete one activity from each of the four decks. The result is that the team with the best combination of abilities comes out on top.

With its wonderfully diverse set of activities and top-notch design (artwork by illustrator Gary Baseman decorates the colorful board and decks of cards), Cranium offers the best of all board game experiences--and it's a whole lot of fun, too! (For 4 or more players)

Kids will love exploring the golden island of Cariboo, where they'll enjoy the thrill of unlocking secret doors and discovering hidden treasures! The matching activities in Cranium Cariboo combine laugh-out-loud fun with four early learning fundamentals -- letters, numbers, shapes, and colors -- so kids learn as they play. And, it grows with your child! Kids practice A, B, C and 1, 2, 3, 4 with the beginner cards, then explore the full alphabet and numbers 1 to 10 with the advanced cards. Each game of Cariboo takes about 10 to 15 minutes to play -- perfect for young attention spans -- but kids love to play again and again. And because the rules are easy and reading is not required, kids can enjoy the game on their own. A magical treasure hunt game kids will love Learn letters, numbers, shapes, and colors Choose from beginner and advanced cards Quick 15-minute games keep kids' attention Reading is not required, so kids can enjoy the game on their own Includes: Cariboo game board two sets of playing cards (beginner and advanced) six colorful treasure balls the key the treasure chest 2 rules sheets

What a great way for kids to play America's favorite word game! Kid-sized words and colorful pictures make it fun to match letter tiles to words on the grid. Players collect scoring chips for completing words. When all of the tiles are played, the one with the most chips wins! The advanced side of the game board features an open grid where kids can create their own words, Scrabble-style! For 2 to 4 players. Game includes: 2-sided game board, 101 letter tiles, 44 scoring chips and rules.

If there's any game out there that normally makes little kids feel left out, it's Scrabble, the word game that's usually played by adults and older kids. But Scrabble Junior is a great way to introduce young children to the game and get them interested in how words are formed. In the beginner game, specially developed for younger kids, players draw seven tiles from a pool, then work to match letters to the ones printed on the board. As they work through their tiles, they spell out the words, one letter at a time, and receive points for finishing each word. By the end of the game, they'll have used over a hundred letters to work through a variety of different words. On the other side of the board there is a basic version of the classic Scrabble game with simple scoring rules. Once your children master the advanced game, you might be surprised to see that they're ready to take you on in a match of the original Scrabble. Just be prepared to lose gracefully. --John Longenbaugh

With this revolutionary chess teacher, you'll be playing the world's greatest game in no time at all! Unlike any other chess teacher, No Stress Chess teaches you how to play using illustrated cards and an illustrated two-sided game board. Includes two-sided chess board, 17 charcoal pieces, 17 ivory pieces, 56 action cards, black plastic card tray and instructions. For two players.