Beyond Monopoly:
Great Board Games and Card Games You Never Heard Of, And How to Get Them

Reviews by Laura Davis

Tired of the T.V., computer, and video games devouring your family time? Why not try an interesting board game!

Sure, the typical American family has Monopoly, Clue, Scrabble, and Twister on the shelf; these games are classics and will endure well into the future.

But these new games are very, very different.

With all due respect to the board game icons, game designers have gotten really creative in the last decade -- the games I will be reviewing are much more engaging and fun than many of the good-old-same-olds.

Playing board games has helped my family--me, my husband, and two young sons--to stop spending so much time on passive and often solitary entertainment, and to start spending our evenings and weekends playing together.

It has also made me--for better or for worse--into something of a board game addict. I troll the internet after the kids are in bed, seeing what's new, what's different, and, as important, what's reasonably priced. At first, my husband thought I was nuts. (“You bought ANOTHER game, dear?”) But now that he’s spent so many pleasant hours playing these games, he admits that it’s great to have them around. And I like that my sons will remember their early years as being filled with hours of fun with their parents. They won't even realize how much education I've sneaked in, when no one was looking.

If you’re convinced and ready to dive in, pay a visit to GatePlay.com. I have bought games from all over the internet, but GatePlay is my current favorite: Their site is an excellent source for information, as well as having a wide variety of games available for purchase. Prices are great, and the shipping costs are always reasonable. Games I review that are not sold through GatePlay will have sellers listed in the review.

Happy Gaming!

Reviews

Zooloretto: Score the most points by having fully stocked exhibits, lots of concession stalls, and no animals left in the barn! For ages 8 and up.

Rat-A-Tat Cat: Become the player with the most cats and the fewest rats! For ages 6 and up.

Carcassonne: Construct the settlement of Carcassonne, a medieval French city.

Hisss: Complete Snakes by matching colors.

Ticket to Ride: Ticket To Ride is one of the greatest games available. It is easy to learn, fun to play, and has a very wide appeal. Even people who “don’t play games” like it.

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Laura Davis is a writer based in the Fort Worth, TX area. If you are interested in submitting a game for review, please contact her at happypalms@gmail.com.