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

The Porta Puzzle range is a collection of robust puzzle boards, and inserts, that when closed keep every puzzle piece safe. The range has a unique lining that keeps pieces in place and also provides the ideal surface to puzzle on. Lightwieght and robust, the Porta Puzzle can be easily transported and stored. This is the Standard Porta Puzzle with side panels and Velcro fastening, ideal for puzzles up to 1000 pieces. Also available separately for 500 piece puzzles.

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

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

Is your bookcase as curious as the one pictured in the Ravensburger Bizarre Bookshop 1000 Piece Puzzle ? Not everything is as it seems , amongst the books pictured in this 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle . The books themselves are strange colours and shapes, and have wacky titles based on famous novels . But it's not just the books that hide bizarre secrets - nestled amonst the tomes are miniature worlds : tiny cottages, gardens and forests, amongst many more. Those who look hard enough will even find the strange creatures living in the bookshelves... Ravensburger Bizarre Bookshop 1000 Piece Puzzle is a weird and wonderful jigsaw, that can help develop problem solving skills.

One of the best Murder Mystery party games available! For 6 - 8 players. 13 Years +

Jigroll is the easy way to store or carry unfinished puzzles and loose jigsaw pieces. Jigroll is ideal for storing and transporting puzzles. Simply build the jigsaw on the cloth and roll around the tube when finished. The special fabric keeps all the jigsaw pieces in place. The fastening straps then keep the special cloth securely in place around the tube for easy storage and transportation of the jigsaw. No more worrying about where to leave your unfinished jigsaw or if you might loose pieces when pushing it in a corner - Jigroll takes care of that. This Jigroll is designed to store and transport puzzles most standard puzzles up to 1000 pieces and will save you time and hassle when puzzling your favourite jigsaws.

The ideal accessory for the Dominoes or Cribbage player. Size when open is 22x6.8cms which folds to a handy compact pocket size. Suitable for both Cribbage and Dominoes Handy compact folding case. Superb quality case made from re-forested hardwood. Recommended For ges 9 Plus

Piece together a panorama of your favourite Disney characters from across sixty years with the Ravensburger Disney Panoramic 1000 Piece Puzzle . This wide, high quality 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle features Mickey Mouse taking a group photo of over fifty characters , from over a dozen classic Disney films . From Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, all the way through to Hercules and Tarzan, you're certain to spot a character you love , and many more besides! The puzzle is made from strong premium grade cardboard , with linen finish print to reduce the glare from the puzzle image. Ravensburger Disney Panoramic 1000 Piece Puzzle is great fun for the entire family to piece together!

Nominated for the German Game of the Year in 2000, Citadels has finally arrived in an English-language edition. Game enthusiasts of all genres will be enchanted by this wonderful game of bluffing, deduction, and city-building. Wrapped in a medieval theme and gorgeously illustrated, players seek to be the first to complete a grand city of their own. Each game round players secretly take the roles of either the King, Magician, Architect, Assassin, Thief, Bishop, General, or Merchant and seek to use the powers of such offices in their efforts to win the game. As an additional bonus, the English version will ship with 10 new cards designed by Bruno Faidutti himself. These cards feature new locations and new characters to make your game of Citadels even more diverse than the original German version. The game is for 2 to 7 players and it takes 20-60 minutes to play.

Take a look at the things that live in your garden from a more old-fashioned perspective, with the Ravensburger Vintage Flora 500 Piece Puzzle . Done in the style of the Victorian Botanical encyclopaedia, this 500 piece jigsaw puzzle has 24 plants, insects, fruits and flowers from the garden. Each section is beautifully illustrated, and features a letter of the alphabet to go with the garden item, from Apple to eXtra Yellow Zebra Swallowtail ! Ravensburger Vintage Flora 500 Piece Puzzle is a charmingly vintage puzzle, that can be used to help develop problem solving skills.

One of the rural crafts range, dry stone walling.

Agricola

Put together a marvellous view of one of the most famous squares in London. This 500 piece jigsaw puzzle pictures one of the most famous tourist attractions in London. Nelson's Column and its lions dominate the square, along with the fountains and the statues. There are also views of the National Gallery , St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, the BT Tower, and many other famous buildings. You can also see London's red buses, and black cabs, and hoardes of tourists. If you look closely, you'll even discover the artist Chris Roger himself, standing painting the scene. The puzzle is made from strong premium grade cardboard , with linen finish print to reduce the glare from the puzzle image. Ravensburger Trafalgar Square 500 Piece Puzzle is a timeless jigsaw puzzle that can help develop problem solving skills.

Welcome to The Really Nasty Horse Racing Game--the game designed to stimulate your worst instincts and get you to use cunning and deviousness to your best advantage.

The game comes complete with all pieces needed to play--horses and jockeys, lane cards, Really Nasty cards, a riderless horse to create more havoc and the usual dice, pencil and money. The object of the game is to win the most money at the race meeting and this can be done in one of two ways. Firstly, by getting your horse placed first, second or third in the race and secondly, by placing bets on winning horses.

So, how does the game go? Each player gets a number of Really Nasty cards, £20,000 cash and of course, the betting slip. The game lasts for a race meeting of six races. Each player gets six horses, one for each race. The horses are graded 1 to 6--1 being the best horse and 6 being the worst horse. Before racing starts each owner has to decide which race each horse will run. There are other matters too, such as working out the betting odds, and lots of shady dealings will likely ensue.

The elected bookmaker controls the game--lane placings are drawn before each race, and the horse that draws the inside lane starts. Movement is decided by a throw of the dice--one length forward for one, two lengths for two and so on. There are rules that control the manner of racing as well, such as changing lanes, cornering and blocking, plus the special Early Pace, Quicken Up and Finish Well sections that give extra momentum for your horse. There is also a set of mischief cards to help you create havoc with the other horses and riders in the race.

This game really is brilliant--it lets you bow to your worst instincts without any apologies. Great fun for get togethers. -- Ben King

Have you got a Dirty Mind? Then you might not be very good at this game, because all the answers are clean. You're presented with 3 clues, which are packed with innuendo and you must come up with the correct answer - and it definitely won't be dirty!If you're the type of person who hates it when someone reads something dirty into everything you say, Dirty Minds is the game for you! The dirtier a mind you have, the worse you will be at playing Dirty Minds, The Game of Naughty Clues, because all the answers are clean!Dirty Minds will provide 2 or more adults with hours of laughter as seemingly filthy clues point towards the most innocent of answers.Some people say that a dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste. Use yours to play Dirty Minds! But remember, nothing is as dirty as it seems.Sample question:Test how dirty your mind is by reading the following clues:- I'm made of big white balls.- I drip when I get hot.- People stick a carrot in me.If your answer to the above clues wasn't SNOWMAN, you have a dirty mind.Great ice breaker for parties!