Sub-Categories: Retro Games & Toys with no board

Retro Board Games we still love to play!

We all have our favourite retro board games and it mostly depends on what games you received as gifts for Christmas and birthdays as a kid! Rediscovering these classic games is enormous fun and it's amazing to remember all the different board games you had hours/days of pleasure with, playing with your family and friends.

Now you're all grown-up, you can play retro board games with your new family, friends, co-workers at the Christmas party or you could spice-up the life of a lonely neighbour by turning-up with Electronic Battleships under your arm. Maybe not Buckaroo if they have a nervous disposition or a weak heart.

Retro Board Games we still play today (listed alphabetically)

Cluedo - Great Game Of Britain - Monopoly - Mouse Trap - Risk - Scrabble - Snakes & Ladders - Upwords

Above we've listed some of our own favourite retro board games that bring back fond memories. We've also had a lot of fun as adults playing the same games. Sometimes, if we're lucky, we've got an old boxed version somewhere (usually battered to death and with missing pieces but still playable) but more often than not, we've had to buy a brand new version of the game online. This can often lead to surprises as some board games have developed since the retro version you originally had as a child.

Cluedo

The classic 'murder mystery' game where players try to determine 'whodunnit!' Where, how and who? It sounds simple but this is an engrossing game that entertains and enthralls. Ideal even if there's only two players, Cluedo games last 'just about right' with the average game of Cluedo lasting around 45 minutes to an hour. It can depend how many players are on the mystery hunt.

Most Cluedo players stick loyally to the traditional, original version but there are now LOADS of different, quirky variations on this classic board game. Want a game of Batman Cluedo? No problem. Other themes applied to Cluedo editions include Dungeons & Dragons, Harry Potter, Scooby Doo and The Big Bang Theory. If you haven't played Cluedo in a long time, give it another go - there's been a new suspect added into the mix!

See today's price for Cluedo -> 365games : Amazon : Hamleys : The Entertainer : Winning Moves

See more about Cluedo (Cluedo information, facts and FAQ)

The Great Game Of Britain

Fantastic at Christmas but popular all-year-'round, The Great Game Of Britain is a genius-creation packed-full of drama and entertainment. This game is one that new players will find surprising. A board game based around rail travel doesn't instantly sound interesting to everyone but we've yet to come across anyone who doesn't end up loving this board game.

The Great Game of Britain Board Game has been around for a long time, but was out of print for several years. There have been several editions over the years, and they have improved with each new release. The game is easy to learn and fun to play for all ages. The combination of luck and skill evens the playing field, making it enjoyable for people with different skill levels to play together and have fun. It's easy to learn how to play this board game and can be played by adults and children alike on equal terms. For many families, Christmas and other holidays (or just the weekend!) wouldn't be complete without a few games of The Great Game of Britain.

The descriptions of the landmarks and historical information on the cards are interesting and educational but the information is not necessary to play or win the game. Everything is here to keep you and your family/friends entertained - a race around the board, the chance to stop others from succeeding (very enjoyable, until it happens to you) and even to pick who you most want to be nasty to - and then moments when everyone finds themselves in Scotland whether they want to be or not!

The Great Game of Britain is addictive and just one game is never enough - you can quite easily spend all evening playing 'just one more' game.

See today's price for The Great Game Of Britain -> Amazon : The Entertainer

See more about The Great Game Of Britain (The Great Game Of Britain information, facts and FAQ)

Monopoly

The ultimate game of financially crushing your family & friends is as much fun to play today as when it was first created in 1903. The editions have evolved, player 'characters' have changed (did you get a boat? a car? a dog?) but the essentials of Monopoly remain the same. Obtain as much property as you can and get rich when your opponents land on your property. It can be a merciless game, especially if you're bankrupting your children at Monopoly and having a fantastic time doing it! Just tell them it's a 'lesson in finances'.

Like many of the most popular retro board games, Monopoly is still dominantly played in its classic edition but there are a lot of themed-versions for fanatics who want a twist to the game. There are more than 200 different 'local' versions of Monopoly where the properties differ to the standard game, which can make the playing experience more enjoyable and familiar. It's also been converted to more than a hundred different countries around the world so anyone can 'feel at home', snapping up their own local landmarks and posh areas. If you're a part-time rocker, there's a Metallica edition of Monopoly!

Far more than just a game of luck (though your dice rolls definitely play a part in your fortune), Monopoly can be learned easily and your game improved significantly by following a few tips. We won't spoil the fun here but if you're interested, here are some Monopoly tips to help beat your gaming foes.

See today's price for Monopoly -> 365games : Amazon : Hamleys : The Entertainer : Winning Moves

See more about Monopoly (Monopoly information, facts and FAQ)

Mouse Trap

Our earliest memories of the Mouse Trap board game were watching TV advertisements and desperately wanting the game for Christmas. To us kids, the game looked awesomely exciting! Of course, those clever TV ads. tended to show the exciting 'end-of-game' action when the ball started rolling and the sequence-of-events eventually led to someone yelling 'Mouse Trap!' The half-hour required to set-up the game was conveniently omitted, as was a rather uninspiring board game that had to be played before you got to the brief, end-of-game action (which sometimes didn't work properly anyway!).

Like many retro board games, Mouse Trap has fortunately undergone a few changes and updates over the past few decades. The game is now 'Easy Set-Up' (according to Hasbro, the manufacturers of Mouse Trap) and the game itself more fun. It needed to be!

Two to four players can play Mouse Trap and it's probably worth having in your games collection for home-parties, as well as enjoyment with the family. There's no denying it's a unique-game and the quality is good. Customer reviews for the latest edition of Mouse Trap are overwhelmingly positive, which speaks volumes. It's been described by purchasers as "an incredibly entertaining game that hooks you right from the start" and "Brilliant, classic game that hasn't aged at all. Perfect for the family."

See today's price for Mouse Trap -> 365games : Amazon : Hamleys : The Entertainer

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Risk

Risk is a board game that EMBRACES your megalomaniac side and encourages you to attack and dominate other players' territories, countries and continents! All good, clean fun! If you want to mix your destruction with some theming then you can buy special editions of Risk including Peaky Blinders, The Lord Of The Rings, The Walking Dead and Warhammer. Whatever floats your (cannon-loaded) boat.

Risk, subtitled 'The Game of Strategic Conquest', is definitely a retro board game with a long history going back to 1957 (originally named, 'The Conquest of the World') and it's always been a hugely popular activity for millions of gamers. The chance to rule the world doesn't come your way very often - Risk gives you that opportunity, with luck, skill and courage on your side!

With extremely good customer feedback and reviews, Risk's popularity with board gamers continues to soar. The high quality of the game (and even the box it arrives in!) has been frequently commented upon with one reviewer stating, "The game figures are meticulously crafted with impressive attention to detail.", which can only add to the atmosphere as you hopefully crush your opponent's defences. Take no prisoners! Incidentally, playing Risk also helps players to learn geography, countries and continents - useful knowledge that will remain long after playing!

See today's price for Risk -> 365games : Amazon : Hamleys : The Entertainer : Winning Moves

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Scrabble

Have a dictionary at-the-ready! You just know someone is going to challenge your excellent-scoring word at some point. That's the nature of Scrabble, where your vocabulary and imagination combine to do linguistic battle with other players. And hope you get your hands on a 'U' if you happen to pick-out the 'Q' letter!

Scrabble is enormous fun and educational at the same time. Two to four players can get involved but we've known some players take-on the challenge solo, trying to beat their own personal scores. It's all good practice.

There are various editions of Scrabble at differing prices so you can opt for what best suits your preference and budget. The quality is good and it's equally entertaining for adults and/or children. There's even a Star Wars edition if you like your word games futuristic-style.

See today's price for Scrabble -> 365games : Amazon : Hamleys : The Entertainer

See more about Scrabble (Scrabble information, facts and FAQ)

Snakes & Ladders

Up the ladders and down the snakes! Board games don't get a lot easier to play than Snakes & Ladders. Roll your dice, hope to NOT land on a snake. A ladder is great - you'll climb it up the board and whoever is first to the top wins! It sounds very simple and it IS - but it's also plenty of fun for adults and children. Who said board games need to be complicated?

There are LOADS of different editions of Snakes & Ladders, varying in difficulty and also quality. You might want to buy a cheap version if the kids are going to throw the thing around but it's worth considering purchasing a more sturdy (often wooden) version that you know is going to last a life-time.

Snakes & Ladders is always fun, often exciting and you never really know who's going to win until the last moment. You could be near the top of the board then land on the last snake and drop way down. On the flip-side, you could be languishing behind near the foot of the board then get lucky with a dice roll and score yourself a lovely ladder boost, putting you in with a chance of winning. It's a simple game but an unpredictable one and that makes it very enjoyable to play every time.

See today's price for Snakes & Ladders -> 365games : Amazon : The Entertainer

See more about Snakes & Ladders (Snakes & Ladders information, facts and FAQ)

Upwords

Upwords is the stackable word game that everyone adores, especially if you played it as a child. If you enjoy Scrabble then you will LOVE Upwords. It's a very similar game to Scrabble where you place your letters onto a board to create words. As with Scrabble, you can use existing letters on the board to make new words.

And THAT'S where the similarity with Scrabble ends and Upwords steps-up to become its own, brilliant self! Loads of Scrabble players also play Upwords because they're both similar but different challenges. Whereas in Scrabble, once a letter is placed on the board, it stays there. When playing Upwords, you can place your letters ON TOP of those already-placed in order to change the word into something new!

For example, if you've got the letters 'C' and 'H', and the word 'TIME' is on the board, you could easily add your C & H in front/on top of TIME to create CHIME (you would place your H over the T)! You even score extra points for stacking your letters on top of those already on the board. It's brilliant fun and a definite family favourite board game.

Reviews for Upwords are generally glowing - Upwords has sold in the millions and it's extremely popular. Players who remember the game from childhood might remember a differently coloured board edition and with slightly different letter styling. As with many retro board games, new editions are released and this can mean improvements or sadly in some cases, a reduction in quality. Upwords has had significant improvements but also not-so-great changes. Fortunately, the negatives are few and based on player reviews, do not detract from the overall enjoyment of Upwords.

The main complaint seems to be about the quality of the bag holding the letters! In any event, these are 'supposed' to be removed from the bag at the start of the game and placed face down (then mixed-up) so the bag itself should experience minimal usage. Brilliantly, Upwords now has a 'lazy Susan' style design so you can turn the board around to the next player. That's a huge plus for Upwords and makes the game much easier to play for everyone, no matter where you're sitting!

See today's price for Upwords -> Amazon

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