On Like Donkey Kong

I love board and electronic games, especially the ones that require you to think. And I'm not talking about Sorry! or Trouble. I read an article in Real Simple magazine the other day about hosting game night. It listed several great games. They all sound like so much fun, I thought I'd share. Put your game faces on!

Board Games
Apples to Apples: Make split-second matches between nouns and adjectives—for example, “hair transplants” and “unnatural.” For 4 to 10 players.

Wits and Wagers: A trivia game in which you don’t have to be a know-it-all. Just bet on the right answer. For 4 to 20 players.

Say Anything: Answer questions like “Which movie should never have been made?” A judge picks the best. Combines the best element of Apples to Apples and Wits and Wagers. For 3 to 8 players.

The Chain Game: Use your creativity to link common idioms. A player draws a card with a phrase. He or she must use one of the words on the card to come up with a new phrase. The next player does the same with the first player’s phrase, and so on. The group tries to go through as many phrases as possible before the timer goes off. An example of a common-phrase chain: “final exam,” “that’s final,” “that’s life,” “wildlife,” “wild and crazy,” “stir-crazy.” For 3 to 10 players.


Electronic Games
Catch Phrase: Classic Password enters the digital age with this handheld version. For 4 to 20 players.

Scene-It TV Edition: Test your pop-culture prowess with this DVD trivia game. For 2 players or 2 teams. (we have this on the Xbox and love it)

Wii Carnival Games: Try your luck at the ring toss and 25 other attractions that you can re-create with the Wii remote. For 1 to 4 players.

Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree: Test your smarts and see how you measure up in five categories of brain-teasers: Identify, Memorize, Analyze, Compute, and Visualize. Participants play mini-games in a random sequence. At the end, they are awarded scores in the form of brain weights (the heavier, the better) and career paths (hello, improv actor), based on their accuracy and speed. For example, in one visualizing game, the player is presented with an incomplete painting and must use the Wii remote to finish it. For 1 to 8 players.