Beyond Monopoly

I love to play games. It takes me away from the idiot box and keeps my brain active. My Cranium parties are famous with my friends. It gives us something else to do besides eat and drink when we get together. I have two young nieces, ages 5 and 8. Every time I visit them in Texas they beg me to play games with them. I got tired of the brainless games such as Shoots and Ladders or Barbie Monopoly. Games should engage people of all ages. So I went on a quest to find a smart game that appealed across generations. I discovered that the Germans are famous for creating family games. I purchased a game called Carcasonne that I truly enjoy playing - and so do they! I also taught the 5-year old how to play chess. I couldn't believe how quickly she picked it up. To level the playing field, I remove my queen from the board, then we proceed as normal. Recently, my boyfriend and I have been trying other German board games and now we are completely addicted to them. Some of our favorites include Euphrate & Tigres, El Caballero, Java and Torres (I have a couple of these listed in the sidebar on the right side). When the weather turns bad outside, we spend hours playing games in front of a fire. There's a whole world beyond monopoly out there.