One of the more interesting family boardgames on the market is Scotland Yard, published by Ravensburger Games.  In the game, one player takes the role of Mr. X, an elusive criminal, while the other players take the roles of Scotland Yard detectives.  The game is played on a large overhead map of London, with game spaces linked by the modes of transport necessary to reach them - taxis, buses, subways, and boats.  Each player is given a limited number of tickets for each of these conveyances, and the players must cooperate to trap and capture Mr. X before he can escape justice.

The twist in this game is that Mr. X doesn't put his marker on the map, instead recording his moves on a notepad supplied with the game.  After his third move, and after every fifth one thereafter, he is forced to reveal himself on the gameboard, otherwise the only clues the detectives are given are the type of transportation used.  Comparing this information with the layout of the board, and their last known location of the villain, detectives must close the net around the fugitive.

The game inspires creative thinking on both sides of the table.  Mr. X must figure out how to escape ever-tightening police nets without giving away his position more than he has to, and inspectors must utilize probability and logic to predict his movements and location on the board.  The notepad ensures that at the end of each game, everyone's kept honest; Mr. X's movements can be easily reconstructed to verify that the game was a fair one.  Scotland Yard definitely appeals to the intellectual problem-solver types, but is reasonably easy to pick up for all members of the family.

Bigger and Better is a scavenger hunt type of game with a trading twist.  You’ll be searching for and trading regular items such as pens, paper clips and other things.  Bigger and Better is a good game for large gatherings and family reunions.  This is a team game and works best if there are at least three people per team although two people per team can work as well.   In order to win, your team has to have the biggest and best item by the time the game ends.

To start playing, give each team one small object that is low in value.  Each team must then head out to a public place like a park or around the neighborhood and try to trade up their items.  This takes team work as everyone must agree to the trade.  The team must also decide as a group how to go about canvassing for the item.  Set a time limit of one or two hours and make sure there is at least one adult on each team for safety’s sake.  Once time is up, everyone head back to judge the findings and vote for a winner.  The judging criteria include size, value and creativity.  Each team presents their item and gives the trade history then, everyone votes for the biggest, the most valuable and the most creative.  You can include other judging criteria if you want.  Remember that a team cannot vote for themselves.  

This is an excellent team building game or a good activity for a family on a Saturday.  It works best with older children because of the knowledge needed to make good trades.

Cranium borrows a little from a lot of very popular board games and combines it into one package, making for a very exciting and adventurous gameplay experience.  Also known as "The Game for Your Whole Brain," Cranium challenges players with a variety of activities that are sure to never leave anyone bored.  Trivia, drawing, spelling, and acting are just a few of the games Cranium has to offer.

With a bright and colorful board adorned with whimsical cartoons, Cranium is a feast for the eyes before gameplay even begins.  Four categories make up the core of the game:  Creative Cat (blue), Data Head (red), Word Worm (yellow), and Star Performer (green).  Creative Cat includes drawing games like Pictionary and clay sculpting.  Data Head has trivia, multiple-choice, and true/false questions.  Word Worm has a forwards and backwards spelling bee, definitions, and word puzzles.  Star Performer includes activities like charades, impersonations, and song humming.  These categories are selected when a player rolls a color-coded die and lands on the corresponding color.  There are two paths along the board - the Fast Track which is more spaced out and leads to the end of the board faster, and the Scenic Path which is about twice as long as the Fast Track.  Correct answers on a first try will put the player on the Fast Track, whereas wrong answers lead to the Scenic Path.

The variety in gameplay is where Cranium shines.  One moment you may be trying to spell "kangaroo" backwards, the next you may find yourself shaking your hips like Elvis Presley.  It's incredibly fun for the whole family, and other versions of Cranium - especially Cranium Cadoo - are geared towards a younger audience.  Ideal for parties, family events, or nights in, Cranium will stretch your brain to the limit with plenty of laughs and learning, and loads of fun.

Balderdash is a hilariously fun game for the whole family!  Designed for ages 10 and up, the unique word game finds players in a battle of the wits and creativity to be the first to make it to the end of the board.  What sets Balderdash apart from typical board games is that it requires players to use their own creative juices to come up with fantastical definitions for seemingly impossible words.

Gameplay is not complex, which lends itself to where the real fun is.  Players roll a die to decide who goes first.  The first player draws a card from a box.  On the card is a list of different words - most of which no one has ever heard of.  These words cover a variety of categories:  People, Words, Initials, Movies, and Laws (or Dates depending on which version you have).  The player rolls the die to select the word for that round, and then writes the supplied definition on a piece of paper.  Then the player reads the selected word to the other players, who then attempt to define the word or come up with their own wacky definitions using ingenuity and humor.  All of the cards are collected by the first player (or "dasher") and they are mixed up.  The dasher reads out each definition and players select which one they think is the real one.

Points are awarded as follows:  Two for a correct guess, one to a player whose fake definition is guessed, and three to the dasher if none are guessed correctly.  The fun is in coming up with fabricated definitions that sound plausible - or are so implausible that the room erupts in laughter!  Some games are played for the sheer purpose of coming up with the most creative definition, with points going to the player who succeeds.  Balderdash is great for parties and family gatherings, and will definitely keep everyone picking their brains and enjoying themselves well into the evening.

You can't take over the world from the comfort of your own home on some Saturday night when you happen to be feeling a little bored.  Unless, of course, you have a few friends around that you can challenge to a game of Risk.

Distributed by Parker Brother, Risk is a strategic board game where players are given their own armies and have a chance to launch a quest to take over the world.  The game board is a Napoleonic-ear map where there are 42 territories on 6 continents.  The player that controls all of the territories at the end of the game is victorious.  Created originally by movie director Albert Lamorissee, the game made its debut in France in 1957, but it has been taking the rest of the world by storm ever since.

Your hope for world conquest can include as few as 2 or as many as 6 players.  Each game comes equipped with six sets of differently colored armies with infantry, cavalry, or artillery tokens.  Attacks are carried out by each player rolling dice, the higher number being the victor.  Other game play includes fortifying strongholds, building armies, or attempting to create alliances.  However, at the end of the game only 1 player will be left standing and all alliances will have been broken.  Enjoyed for all the strategy twists and turns, as well as the luck of the roll, Risk is a game that has people coming back to play it again and again. It is never the same game twice.