Game on! Today's board and card games have something for nearly everyone

"Franchise" games: There are certain games that have become so popular that they come out with new versions. Ticket to Ride, for example, is a perennial best-selling game that involves building railroad lines across America. There's a lot of strategy, "but it's accessible to everyone," says Jones. A second version featured Europe. And now the third version, Marklin, is set in Germany.

Blokus, a board game that reminds a lot of people of the electronic Tetris game, is another example. Players place colored tiles, but only where they match up correctly, corner to corner. You try to build your own line, while blocking your opponents. Now there is a new version involving triangles called Blokus Triagon.

Fantasy: Games with various fantasy themes have long been an important segment of the market. Two new offerings:

— Blue Moon City, where players work together to rebuild a destroyed world. "You work together, but at the same time you want to collect the most points. It's fun, it's beautiful and there are lots of dragons," says Jones.

— Mission to Red Planet, where players try to go to Mars and claim territory. "The artwork is wonderful; it allows you to sit for an hour and think you're actually there."

Kids' games: Most of the Euro games are appropriate for children age 8 and up or 10 and up. But GuloGulo is one for kids age 5 and up. "It's one where kids can beat adults even if you're not trying to let the kids win. It involves dexterity, and their fingers work better." Most Euro-style kids games are also fun for adults, Jones adds.

Another example is Wallamoppi, a fast stacking game that involves a dropping marble and cool, wooden pieces.

War games: Another staple of the genre, "when a lot of people think of board games, they think of war games," says Jones. New developments include a new version of Axis & Allies. A new game called Twilight Struggle, set in the Cold War, is also winning awards.

Viktory II is a war game "that plays down to the lowest common denominator, yet it's fast, accessible, and I like it better than Risk," says Jones, "unless you play 2210 Risk, which plays in five turns instead of hours."

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