Maybe it’s because we were tired of the excuse, “Well I lost that piece” or maybe it was because your pet schnauzer kept chewing on the game pieces. But somewhere along the line we have lost sight of what used to bring us all together — the board game. Although the latest Christmas craze is Sony’s Playstation 2, there are plenty of non-digital ways to keep your thumbs occupied while being able to avoid chants such as “You Sank My Battleship!”
Drunk
It was a very messy evening, to say the least, the day my roommate came home with the game of “Shot Glass Checkers,” a wickedly sickening spin on an age-old game. The rules are simple — you want to be the last shot-glass standing and every time you’re jumped you must take a shot. The catch? Well, according to the warning on the box: “the game is not meant to be played with alcoholic beverages.” Okay, so we cheated a little. Nonetheless, this game is a perfect compliment to any room and makes rediscovering the game of checkers a great Thursday night event. For those interested in more complicated fare, there is of course a Shot Glass Chess game as well.
Stoned
If you weren’t around for the Rubix cube craze or were too young to appreciate it, then you have one more chance to be on the ground floor of the next puzzle game phenomenon. The problem is that you are going to have to trust me on this one because explaining how to play The Stone (www.thestone.com), a brand new Internet Puzzle Mystery, is something you really have to experience to appreciate. The Stone is a series of interlocking puzzles which cover many different subjects. As you move deeper into the game you receive prizes and clues over the Internet. The greatest part about this game is the game pieces. The Stone is a very interesting looking item and the black pendant (which you use to access the Internet site) is engraved with cryptic lettering reminiscent of something from a ’30s horror flick.
Now while you may think this game is a little solitary, this is not the case. There is the concept of the Stonemate, which means that for every stone created, there is an exact duplicate. Part of the game is trying to locate the person online who has your stone so you can assist each other to decipher the mystery.
Senile
Okay, so maybe the word Mah-Jongg (www.mahjongg.com) doesn’t exactly evoke the sexiest images. Thoughts of your grandmother or 65-year old women in Asia gathered around a table that emanates a low clicking sound is not your typical gaming fare. However, Mah-Jongg is quickly becoming the hottest game in the trendy Hollywood scene and it is played by the young and restless