I come from a family of competitive people. A big family get together usually involves a couple of glasses of wine followed by someone bringing out some form of game to test our wits against each other.
Whether it's board games, or the more up to date DVD games, we'll be battling it out to become the winner. Being the winner easily provides us with gloating for at least the next 12 months.
I love these kinds of games though. They're a great way of bonding as a family and improving your knowledge. They're especially great for kids, particularly as so many of the games have an educational element.
Here are a few of my favourite board games:
Surely one of the best games of all time? For those who don't know the game, players work their way around the board buying properties and charging rent to those that land on your property. Park lane and Mayfair are the ones everyone usually wants, although I'm told there are updated versions and you can also get versions for your town or city.
This game is all the more awesome if you become banker. Oops, did £50 Monopoly Money just fall into my pile?
This is a game that requires hours of concentration, whilst you basically attempt to take over the world with your troops. One for the boys I think, but still very popular 52 years after it was first released.
This one's a new addition to our games range and my personal favourite. There are a variety of different versions, including Harry Potter and Friends versions, but the basic concept is the same. You work around a board whilst watching film clips on a DVD and answering the following questions. Great for improving observation skills in children.
Want to kick off a family argument? Then pull out Pictionary. Split your family into two teams, and get team members to take it in turns to draw whatever is on their game card for the rest of their team to guess. Turns out repeatedly pointing at the image you've drawn doesn't help your team get the answer. You also can't speak whilst drawing, so I struggle with this game...
The most educational game, Scrabble is a game that can help children to learn how to spell, spot patterns, and think ahead. Certain letters give you double and triple points so it involves a strategic element.
Are you a board game fan? What's your favourite game?