Twister is a very simple game that can become very complicated as the players can easily get tied up in knots. The mat that forms the playing surface is decorated with six circles each of red, yellow, green and blue. The mat is durable, waterproof with a wipe-clean surface but it can also be a little slippery so care must be taken. The spinner arrow is easy to assemble and to use.

An appointed person spins the spinner and calls out instructions for the players to follow, such as:"left hand blue, right foot red". The players follow the directions, moving their hands and feet to the relevant circles and try not to fall over--a knee or an elbow on the ground and they're out. For young children the challenge is not only not to fall over but also to remember left from right and colour recognition.

As well as the perfect ice-breaker for children's parties, Twister is also very popular with adults as the challenge to reach all the circles and remain upright becomes harder the less supple you are (or the more you've had to drink...)

This is a game to suit all ages--children with adults, children with children or adults with adults. Whichever the combination the end result will be plenty of family fun. Six years up, two or more players. -- Phillippa Reece

Move over every other game ever invented and make way for the classic board game by which all others are judged.

Monopoly is the absolute timeless family game. It's a game about strategy, chance, luck and ultimately about greed.

Invented during the Great Depression in 1934, Monopoly has since been translated into 26 different languages and has sold over 200 million sets worldwide. It's a small wonder that most people have grown up with Monopoly.

Monopoly, with its thrilling property-owning rules and objectives, is highly educational. For early Monopoly beginners of seven years, it encourages arithmetic skills. At the same time it teaches older players about money management, property management, basic economics, the art of negotiation and compromise (just how much are you prepared to trade for Mayfair). In many ways Monopoly also mirrors the lessons of life--chance and luck can throw even the best-laid plans astray, and if you 're not prepared to take the big risks you're unlikely to be life's big winner.

Yet Monopoly is also great fun and for some reason its simple rules don't tire or become dull from repetition--truly the mark of a timeless classic.

The only significant downside to Monopoly is that the full game can be a very lengthy event easily lasting hours.

Monopoly can be enjoyed by children as young as seven years old and will still thrill a 97-year-old; it is suitable for 2-8 players.

A perfect game of family fun on a rainy day, a long holiday or a cold winter night, Monopoly will probably be the most played board game your you will ever own. -- Victoria Mackenzie

Football Frenzy is perfect for football lovers of all ages, with club history, famous players, fun facts and more! Features 71 clubs from the Premiership, Championship and Leagues 1 & 2. Ages 8+

Junior Scrabble lives up to its claim of being an"ideal introduction for children to the world's favourite game".

Choose one of two levels to suit the age group of the players: young children can start with"Words and Pictures", a game specially created to help with word formation and recognition."Rainbow Scrabble" is more challenging and is intended for children aged seven and older, having been specially formulated to introduce players to the adult version of Scrabble, though with a far simpler scoring system.

As with the classic version, the idea is to build up words from random tiles, but the junior version is brighter, easier to understand and altogether more appealing for youngsters. All in all, a family game which can make learning extremely enjoyable. -- Susan Naylor

The numbers strategy game that's never the same! The fast-paced game of tile manipulation that challenges each player's wit against the other. One of the world's most compulsive family games, like all the best, it's easy to learn and a challenge to master! Ages: 8 & Up

This captivating game could have been made with London's rush hour in mind. In fact Rush Hour was invented by American games company Binary Arts. In the US it went down a storm, winning various prizes including a national award from Mensa.

The objective of Rush Hour is to move the little red car out of the snarled up traffic gridlock that the game begins with. Rush Hour arrives with 40 challenge cards, which depict various gridlock scenarios to set up your traffic jam to. Use the coloured Troublesome Trucks and Aggravating Autos to reflect the chaos on your particular challenge card. Then all you have to do is move the blocking vehicles up or down on the grid in order to free up the escape route for your own red car. And yet this wonderfully simple concept is enthrallingly more difficult to execute. Who knows, maybe the real London rush hour is easier on the nerves than the Binary Arts version.

The challenge cards themselves offer four different levels of complexity and all solutions are printed on the back.

Yet not only is Rush Hour great fun but it can also boast strong educational benefits, teaching problem solving to children of seven years plus. In the US Rush Hour is used in some primary school maths classes. Even a smart four-year-old will find some reward by trying to replicate the traffic set-up scenario of the challenge cards.

Rush Hour can be enjoyed by one player or various players competing.

Suitable for children from 7 years old and all adults who enjoy an ingenious little challenge.-- Victoria Mackenzie

Are you a brainbox? find out with Brain Box 'Maths'

This is another edition of the world-famous popular word game for two to four players.

The object of the game is to compete for the highest score by forming interlocking words in cross-word fashion on the Scrabble board using tiles displaying letters with various score values. Higher scores can be obtained by using the tiles in locations and combinations that make most use of the letter values and premium squares (eg: triple letter score, double word score, etc.) on the board.

The manufacturers recommend that the game is suitable for people age 10 years upwards, which is more or less accurate though slightly younger children could play, especially if there is some measure of supervision.

Contents: there is a moulded plastic travel case, 23x12x5 cm, which features a built-in playing board with a non-slip surface uniquely designed to hold the special tiles which fit securely on the board. There is no need for paper and pencil to score as there is an integral scoring device on the edge of the board for each player. All the contents can be safely and tidily stored away inside the moulded case. There are four storage racks which are specially designed to hold tiles in place during the playing of the game and which keep them hidden when they are packed away if play has to be interrupted. There are 100 tiles of various values, a cloth bag to hold the tiles and a rules leaflet which is explicit and easy to follow.

This is an excellent, compact version of Scrabble which should give hours of pleasure when on the move. -- Susan Naylor

A nerve racking game of skill and judgment. Choose a stick, pull it out. Choose carefully - pull the wrong one and 'Ker-plunk', the game is over ! For 2-4 players. 5 Years +

It's a Race Against Time..! Fun, fast, frantic and infuriating...... that's the game of TENSION!