Board Games Make a Comeback

by Stephanie Dray

(Published in the Owings Mills Times, 7/19/2000)

Once plagued by falling sales, family board games like Monopoly and Clue are top sellers once again. According to Adrienne Lester, Manager of Kay-Bee Toy & Hobby Shop in Owings Mills Town Centre mall, old favorites are making a comeback, in part, due to the rising price tags of video games.

But the renewed popularity of board games may also be due to an increased emphasis on family activities. "People don't want the television baby-sitting their kids anymore," Lester explains. "And board games have an advantage over the shoot 'em up video games in that they engage the kids' minds in an interactive situation. Board games make them use their heads instead of their fingers."

Deborah Wurzburger agrees. Wurzburger owns the Toy Chest, a specialty game store located on Reisterstown Road. She says, "Board games give a family the time to sit down together and socialize. You have to make family game time a priority from when they're young, though, otherwise it's going to be too hard to keep teenagers involved."

Both Lester and Wurzburger also agree that "Sequence" and "Match'em" are the best games for families with older kids. These two games, both by Jax Ltd., are reputedly two of the most challenging intellectual games on the market. "Sequence" and "Match'em" capture the attention of teens, and, even better, each game can be found for under fifteen dollars. Kay-Bee carries another bargain for families with teens -- the combination "Deluxe Seven In One Game" by Cardinal. "You've got chess, and checkers, and all kinds of games in there. A little something for everybody," Lester says.

For families with little kids, old standbys like the economically priced "Mr. Mouth" is always a good choice. Moreover, now that Milton Bradley is making travel versions of popular games like "Clue", "Perfection" and "Crocodile", the games are selling quite well. Travel games are compact, are easy for the kids to handle, and help to silence that age-old question, "Mom are we there yet?" If you've still got a family road trip ahead of you this summer, you'll definitely want to give these games a look.

Wurzburger recommends taking into account the special interests of a child when picking out a game. She's quick to point out that employees of the Toy Chest play test all their products and that they give high marks to a game called "Footloose." Designed by a teacher, this interactive game keeps younger kids moving by giving them tasks such as giving mom a hug, or jumping up and down on one foot.

Another excellent choice is the reasonably priced and innovative series of games by Binary Arts. "Safari," a jungle escape game, comes with fun animal pieces and includes a travel bag. The other Binary Arts games, "Rush Hour" and "Rush Hour Jr." are traffic jam puzzles that will hopefully immunize kids to road rage by the time they're old enough to drive. In the "Rush Hour" games, players try to navigate an ice cream truck through the crowded streets in an effort to outmaneuver the other vehicles. Toy pieces in the "Rush Hour" games are shaped like cars, fire trucks and buses.

But games aren't just for kids. Baltimorians ought to get a kick out of the Orioles Checkers game. Instead of checker pieces, the game provides players with a set of miniature Orioles helmets and a set of opposing miniature Yankee helmets. The game itself is played on a delightful customized baseball-themed board. There's also a gimmicky but entertaining version of Monopoly that is based on Baltimore landmarks and scenery. Both these games can be found at the Toy Chest or other specialty or novelty stores.

When asked to name the best game on the market, Wurzburger chose "The aMAZEing Labyrinth" by Ravensburger. She says, "Labyrinth holds the interest of adults because it offers a different scenario to players each time they play." Made for one to four players, ages eight and older, "The aMAZEing Labyrinth" depicts complicated mazes in which players can find treasured objects and accomplish individual goals. Ravensburger also makes a junior version of the game for children.

When all is said and done, however, the old favorites may really be the best bet for the money. Lester explains, "The newer games really aren't as popular. Take the 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire' game for example. It's a new game and should be a hot seller, but people expect it to be tense like it is on the television, and it's not. And then you've got the new Star Wars game, but the expense can discourage people. But you can't go wrong with a game like Scrabble. That's the best game we carry at any price range."

Trading card games and video games are not likely to vanish from the toy store shelves in the near future. Still, it's nice to see a resurgence of family games that give adults a sense of nostalgia and introduce younger players to years of enduring fun.