There are a number companies coming out with high tech versions of the classic board game “Battleship” by Hasbro. There are handheld versions, a travel version and a number of video game versions. While all these variations have wonderful bells and whistles, none comes close the excitement of the original. Hasbro’s latest version has a few acceptable bells and whistles, but nothing beats the old fashioned mano a mano pathos of the original. Playing the game is pretty easy, but mastering it is an art form. Both sides have a game board, which looks like a laptop. On the top … Continue reading →

Today my daughters Phoebe and Julia were competing to play “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic on her piano. She’s proud to be playing a “real song” now. It triggered a memory of a game my friend Duke and I used to play when we were 14 or 15, it was called “Sink the Titanic.” We must have played that game for a whole summer. It was the most morbid game ever, but it sure sparked the imagination. Duke was fascinated by disasters, and had long since been a foremost expert in Titanic lore. He was an expert on … Continue reading →

Anybody who grew up playing Monopoly has a story about their most intense game. We’ve all played marathon games stretched to their limits by massive deal making and rapid turns of fortune. My most intense game came at the height of a serious Monopoly binge. My friends and I played Monopoly exclusively for two months and were clearly ready for a showdown. It was me, my friend Duke and my other friend Brian. Brian was out within the first dozen or so trips around the board. He had a very bad luck that game landing on the right properties, and … Continue reading →

Remember the old TV game show “Name that Tune?” A contestant, having been given clues, would guess the name of the song in a certain number of notes. Technology has provided us with a number of ways to recreate this game very simply, and makes for a fun adult or children’s party game. Number of players 2-20 Space requirements: A living room and a stereo/music device Equipment needed: Anything that plays CD’s or, ideally, MP3’s. For this game, you’ll need access to a large body of music, which, if you think about it, could be at your fingertips. If you … Continue reading →

If you don’t have a Simon game, or a pack of Old Maid cards, you can still play a memory game. This is a great old-fashioned parlor memory game that can also be used with kids in a classroom or home setting. Number of players: 5-15 Space needed: Living room Ages: 5+ This game is a test of visual memory. All the players sit in a circle, or around a table except one. This person prepares a plate of from 6-20 small objects, all different. These could include things like keys, thread, a pencil, crackers, a napkin ring or any … Continue reading →

There are two types of Monopoly players. There are purists, who believe the game should be played strictly by the book. Then there are those like me, who didn’t read the official Monopoly game rules until I’d been playing for five years and was bored during a game in college. My friends were all astounded to learn how many of the original rules morphed over time into accepted rules of play throughout the country. I’d learned from my older brothers, and my best friends and their older siblings. I’d inherited a version of the game that consisted mostly of a … Continue reading →

When I was in my twenties, I was at a get together with a lot of couples who had been married in the past couple years. We were comparing stories about good and bad wedding gifts. (Making sure not to mention the gifts we’d given each other) Every couple had stories about getting an excess of picture frames, serving dishes and candlestick holders. One vegetarian couple received eight different salad sets. While we all appreciated these gifts, they were very common and didn’t really stand out. When the discussion shifted to gifts that stood out, the gifts people mentioned were … Continue reading →