Family Game Night

More and more we're turning to having friends over for game nights instead of going out. It's a great way for us little people to save up the money to pay off the $700,000,000,000 bailout to help those poor Wall Street employees keep their jobs. So while they're reduced to eating domestic caviar this Christmas, we'll be doing our part and eating $5 Little Caesars and playing Scrabble instead of going to Chucky Cheese.

Anyone that plays very much Scrabble realizes how defective the cheap set is. Spinning the board around so you can read or smacking the table when your husband plays kwyjibo sends the tiles flying. The Scrabble Deluxe Edition has a swivel base that allows the board to turn so players don't have to work upside down. The plastic grid helps keep tiles in line. The handy bag stores letters when they're not in use so you don't end up missing all the U's.

Settlers of Catan is one of the hotter family games. It's relatively new to the U.S. One of the most successful games of all time, Settlers of Catan is a trading and building game set in the mythical world of Catan. Players roll dice to determine which resources are generated each round and then must strategically trade those resources with other players to get what they need to build their settlements, cities, and roads. With multiple ways to gain victory points and a board that changes in every play, Settlers of Catan is a game that can be played hundreds of different ways. The base of a hugely successful franchise, with multiple engaging expansions, Settlers is the core game of many collections, and is a wonderful way to spend time with family and friends. For 3 to 4 players.


Carcassonne is a clever tile-laying game. The southern French city of Carcassonne is famous for its unique roman and medieval fortifications. The players develop the area around Carcassonne and deploy their followers on the roads, in the cities, in the cloisters, and in the fields. The skill of the players to develop the area will determine who is victorious. The game is for ages 8 and up and 2 to 5 players.