Board games are a fantastic Christmas gift, but how do you know they’re any good if you’ve not actually played them? You don’t, so we’ve done just that for you. We’re a game-mad family, and we put five new ones to the test to rate them.
I, along with my husband Garry and our children, James, 14, Ben, 12, and Lily, eight, played all the games several times over a fortnight. And each of us was assigned the task of explaining the rules of one game to the rest of the family.
So, if you’re bored with Scrabble, fed up with classic Monopoly and can’t face another round of Articulate, try one of these new, tried-and-tested games – just in time for Christmas.
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The best board games for 2024
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A Monkey Eating a Lemon
£16.99 at WH Smith
£16.99 at Amazon
How do you play it?
It’s a bit like charades. One person chooses two cards (beautifully illustrated by Leon Edler) – one object, one action – and acts them out without speaking. An astronaut on the toilet! A banana drinking tea! A worm riding a bike! The hard part is that you have to perform both things at the same time. Everyone shouts out guesses, and each go is over when someone gets it.
How long did it take – and did you fall out?
However long you want: we stopped after about half an hour. There’s not a huge amount to it; it’s a simple game and extremely family-friendly – our eight-year-old loved it. There was only one falling out when both boys shouted an answer at the same time (resolved by giving them a point each).
How sustainable is it?
It’s all made from card with zero plastic.
Pros and cons
It’s perfect for when you all need a quick pick-me-up. But it needed clearer instructions for what to do in the event of a tie – there were a few arguments.
What is your overall rating?
9/10
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13 Beavers
£20 at John Lewis
£17.99 at Amazon
How do you play it?
It’s a table-top game with a board, little wooden beavers (about the size of your thumb) as playing pieces, and movable dams. The aim is to get your beaver to paradise, passing through challenges and obstacles such as magnetic fish and sleeping wolves. To move forward you have to guess higher or lower on the last card turned over, like a casino game.
How long did it take – and did you fall out?
About 45 minutes. It was pretty simple, although there were some tricky elements, such as a slightly complicated rule involving players shouting “dam!” instead of guessing the card. But the rulebook is well-designed and explains everything clearly. It was really fun, we laughed and no one argued. It’s definitely aimed at kids (it says 7+), though Lily, eight, found it harder than the rest of us. It was engaging enough that the adults enjoyed it too.
How sustainable is it?
No plastic, everything is cardboard or wood.
Pros and cons
Lovely aesthetics and the wooden pieces are satisfying to play with. It’s a little bit complicated initially.
What is your overall rating?
8/10
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Monopoly Knockout
£18 at John Lewis
£14.99 at Amazon
How do you play it?
This was our favourite game. It’s like an active, physical version of the original Monopoly, but aimed at younger kids. There’s a long (nearly one metre), narrow board, and you take turns to flick your playing pieces – which have ball bearings on the bottom to help them slide – down the board. Wherever you land, you have to hope your piece can stay on it until the end of the round, and then you own it and collect money for it.
The places are the same as in the original Monopoly – Old Kent Road, Mayfair, Piccadilly, and the rest. Most fun of all, you can knock other players’ pieces off squares they’ve landed on, a bit like playing boules.
How long did it take – and did you fall out?
Twenty minutes. Standing up to play makes a nice change and there was no fighting (we were all too focused on our sliding skills).
How sustainable is it?
The board and cards are cardboard, but the play pieces are plastic.
Pros and cons
The sliding takes a bit of skill but there’s a lot of luck involved as well. The kids absolutely loved it, but I have to admit we got really into it as well. James thinks it doesn’t stack up to the original. It’s not the Monopoly we know and love, but it’s a lot of fun.
What is your overall rating?
10/10
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That Escalated Quickly
£19.99 at John Lewis
£19.99 at Amazon
How do you play it?
It’s a card game where everyone gets a secret number from one to 10, and one person reads out a question, such as: “I’m baking cookies. What are the ingredients?” Your answer should correspond with the number you’ve drawn, where one is the least extreme or silly, 10 the most – and the funnier the better. The person who read the question has to guess what order your numbers are in.
How long did it take to play – and did you fall out?
Only about 15 minutes, but we played a few rounds. No one fell out either. If the person who reads the question gets the order right, everyone wins, so you’re all working as a team.
How sustainable is it?
Just cards in a cardboard box.
Pros and cons
We had to repeat some of the questions, but we picked up the game fairly quickly. Depending on the player’s imagination, it can be really funny. It would be perfect to play with just adults and booze, as you would come up with funnier, more “adult” answers. It was over too quickly, and it was a little complicated – the eight-year-old gave up, but the game does say 10+.
What is your overall rating?
7/10
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Sausage Roll!
How do you play it?
There’s a big, colourful plastic floor mat, and you all take turns throwing a goofy, foam sausage roll down the length of it. Whatever colour you land on, you have to choose a card and do a challenge, a forfeit, solve a mystery (for example, steal a point from another player), or perform a charade. You win by earning points, and you keep score on a whiteboard. Everyone is on their feet – it’s very energetic.
How long did it take – and did you fall out?
About 30 minutes. There was a falling out: points ended up wildly uneven for some reason, and the kids got upset. It’s just very random, and even if you try your best, you could still get no points. Most people wouldn’t care because it’s fun anyway, but kids do!
How sustainable is it?
The mat and sausage are plastic, so not very.
Pros and cons
It’s nice to have a more active game where you’re not just sitting around a table. There were plenty of silly challenges that made everyone laugh. But it got boring quite quickly.
What is your overall rating?
5/10
