By: LuAnn Schindler
During the twentieth century, family fun meant turning off the TV and tuning in to classic board games. Today, these classic board games, introduced by the Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers companies, still offer a great time.
These classic games challenge wits or rely on agility.
- Boggle. If a word game seems challenging, then Boggle your mind with this Parker Brothers and Hasbro game. A four-by-four tray of lettered dice shows only the top letter of each die. A three minute timer counts the time while each player writes a list of words formed from adjacent cubes. During the scoring round, if two or more players record the same word, it is removed from the list. Points are awarded based on word length. The winner of the game is the person with the highest point total.
- Clue. Think you can solve a crime? Fine tune your deduction skills with three to six of your friends during a game of Clue. Originally developed in Europe, this mystery board game is now a Hasbro product. Before play begins, one Suspect, one Room, and one Weapon card are randomly chosen and placed in an envelope. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to determine who committed the crime, what weapon was used, and where the crime took place. Players assume roles of characters in the game and may offer suggestions prior to solving the mystery. However, to solve the case, you must be in the correct room when you announce your solution.
- Game of Life. One of the oldest classic board games, The Game of Life originated in 1860. The Milton Bradley Company sold the game, which called for two to six participants. Automobile game pieces race around the board while players collect cash. Ultimately, players either end up on the poor farm or in Millionaire Acres.
- Monopoly. The most popular board game in the world, Monopoly players compete to stockpile wealth and acquire property. The Parker Brothers creation lets players buy, rent or trade properties. Twelve people may play the game. Avoid going to jail, but make sure you collect your $200 paycheck each time you pass go.
- Risk. Want to rule the world? Consider playing Risk. Two to six players contend in this strategy board game sold by Parker Brothers. The game board resembles a political map of the world, divided into territories and grouped into continents. Each player rules an army and tries to capture other territories.
- Scrabble. A crossword puzzle without clues, two to four players arrange letters on the Scrabble board to create words. Each game piece has a printed letter, which has a different point value. The board features bonus-point squares, boosting word value. The player with the highest score is the vocabulary champion.
- Stratego. This two-player game simulates battles between armies. This board game resembles the playground game -Capture the Flag.' Each player receives 40 pieces representing officers and soldiers. Planning and strategic thinking play key roles in Stratego.
- Twister. The Milton Bradley game features a plastic mat game board with four rows of colored circles: red, yellow, blue and green. Players spin the wheel, divided into four sections: right foot, left foot, right hand, left hand. Each section is divided into color combinations. Once a player spins, he must move the appropriate body part to a circle of that color. While there is no limit to the number of players, the playing mat doesn't easily accommodate more than four. The winner is the person who never falls down or whose elbow or knee never grazes the mat.
