ARTS & CULTURE Games for a laugh C

HRISTMAS Day in the Stelfox household usually concludes with a round of Risk, ‘the world domination game.’ That’s the sort of family we are.

More often than not the winner is a certain Julia Stelfox, who has had a winning streak since she was barely into double figures.

She and her brother were raised on board games, and at Christmas they’d receive at least a couple each. Over the years we must have sampled just about every type of game, from the seriously competitive, such as Monopoly, to the hysterically funny (I’m thinking Rapidough, the play dough modelling game).

And so I feel more than qualified to recommend some great games. All will tempt children away from computer screens and there are those for young families as well as those with teenagers. Among them are the tried and tested favourites of readers.

While some games never quite take off there are the hardy annuals that still make the most-played lists. The Amazon top 20 best-selling board games, for example, includes Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit and Cluedo – all firmly established as classics for the very good reason that they’re highly entertaining.

So, here they are, our 13 winning games – lucky for some, unlucky for others!

There are countless versions of this game, which was first produced in 1935 but it has its origins in The Landlord’s Game, brainchild of American Elizabeth Magie back in 1903. We have an original version, a South American Monopoly, gifted by my brother, and a Pokemon Monopoly. The Pokemon version is still enjoyed by my now grown-up daughter and myself. There are stories of people being murdered while playing Monopoly but it’s difficult to get too upset about losing to Pikachu. Copies can be picked up for around £30. New versions of the original have the ‘cat’ token, voted for by players. All will tempt children away from computer screens and there are those for young families as well as those with teenagers.

Quiz junkies and know-it-alls like this game because it allows them to shine. The original had us competing for ‘cheeses’ in sport, literature, geography, science, history and entertainment, but there are now many themed versions and a family Trivial Pursuit that seeks to level the playing field by having different questions for different ages. We came late to the family edition and so the adults usually won. First devised in 1979, its popularity peaked in the 1980s but it’s still a winner. Expect to pay up to £19 for a family edition.

This 1949 game is older than most players probably realise but has stood the test of time. The mechanics are simple although more experienced players soon realise that there are ways to short circuit the accusation process. We have a Simpsons version of this game, which makes it feel more contemporary and fun for younger players than the original. However, as with all the old games this one has many variations.

This fast-paced game, which first appeared in 1992, gives players a word or phrase that they then have to communicate to others without actually using the phrase or word. There’s no doubt it is an educational game, good for expanding vocabularies. But it’s also fun and regularly appears in adult top ten board games lists. There’s a version for younger players as well. Prices start at around £19.

Prepare to laugh so much you’ll wonder if you can ever stop. Players are given a secret word and then have to model a lump of play dough to communicate it to their partner. You wdon’t have time to replicate Michaelangelo’s David, so your sculptures will be rough and ready – and yet a well-tuned partner will, more often than not, guess what you’re trying to do. The losing team has some of their play dough taken away, making the next challenge even more difficult. You can see where it’s going. From about £18 (but you will need to keep stocking up on play dough).

Travel Europe, North America or the UK in this game, which gives players the opportunity to build rail links between cities and gain points. It doesn’t sound particularly exciting, but we loved the American version – which has improved our geography - and then bought the European version, which has a slightly different dynamic. Both are easy to learn, simple to play and good for all ages. If you can lay your hands on this good-natured game for under £30 you’re doing well. Expensive but worth it.

My son introduced me to this game and it has become something of a family obsession. Using hexagon-shaped tiles players construct a games board and then attempt to collect resources in order to build roads, towns and cities. Each game is completely different from the last as the layouts are entirely random. After acquiring the original version we went on to buy a Seafarers edition, which introduces little ships into the mix. Quite fiddly to set up initially but relatively simple to play once you get the hang of it. Settlers was one of the