With the fast paced games that are available to kids and adults on the newest video game systems, it is a wonder that anyone was ever satisfied with the good old classic Wooden Game Boards like Chinese checkers and Chess. These games have been around for a long time, and they are still enjoyed today by many. Unfortunately, many kids will never experience the strategy and skill involved in learning these games because they are so fascinated with technology. While some people do play these games online, it is not the same experience as sitting across the table from someone and playing a game with them.The history of the classic Wooden Game Boards can be traced back to the earliest centuries. There are different theories about where the game of Chess started. Some researchers think it dates back to India in the sixth century, and others trace the origins of the game to China in the tenth century. Regardless of who is correct, the game has a long history which is what makes it one of the most interesting to play today. It is a game that has really withstood the test of time with players.There is also a game called Shaturanga which was created in the sixth century in India. This game involved four teams working against each other in a battle. The pieces, movements and strategies were very similar to those we see in Chess today. This is one of the most widely believed theories about where Chess really started. There is another of the most popular Wooden Board Games that traces its history back to China in the 8th century. We know the game as Chinese checkers today.Being one of the most popular Wooden Game Boards of all time, the game of Chinese checkers was first referenced in 847 AD in China. The game has retained its popularity for so many years because the movements of the pieces are very unique. They move on points designated on the board, and if the game comes to a stalemate, the player that cannot move simply loses their piece which keeps the game moving. This game has often been recognized as the most popular board game in the world.Chinese Checkers is a great alternative to video games and can be introduced at age six and up. The game can be enjoyed by all family members and is a way for kids to build relationships while learning problem solving skills.

There are generally two different types of board games. Some of them work in an abstract concept, where you are competing against friends to earn the most points in terms of trivia, drawing, or other types of skill. These are games which take place in your living room and pit you against your friends in a competition of skill and daring. Other board games don’t work quite in this way. They take place within the confines of a very specific world and your object is to maneuver yourself throughout the confines of that world to win. For example, traditional Monopoly takes place within Atlantic City, Clue takes place within Mr. Boddy’s mansion, and Candy Land happens in the fictional world of Candy Land. With these games, you must adhere to the rules of this world in order to win the game.Some games have a different design of the board, however, allowing for a more expansive type of game play. These boards often make use of a map of the area that the game is set on. You end up playing the game on the map, which serves as the board, much like a military strategist would do in a war room. Indeed, this is exactly how the game plays out with a board game such as Risk, in whichever form it might take.Traditional Risk takes a map of the world as it currently stands, redefines certain areas on the different continents into new “territories” and the game proceeds over the this new map. Players will lay claim to certain territories and will proceed, over the course of the game, to battle each other for control of these territories. The game wins when one player has control of all the territories of the world. This map serves well for traditional Risk, although there are many different alternate version of this game which still use a map, albeit fictionalized or imagined.Risk 2210 AD re-imagines Earth in the future and the design of the board is based on what the surface of the globe might look like in the future. A special edition of Lord of the Rings risk takes the board and redesigns it as a map of Middle Earth with different regions turned into territories, while Star Wars risk makes the board into a map of the traditional Star Wars Universe and instead of battling over territories, you now battle over the different star systems.Another game, which makes use of a map of the world is the classic board game Diplomacy. This board is a map of Europe exactly as it stood in the middle 1960s. Players will each take control of one of the countries that comprise Europe and will proceed to make alliances and deals with each other, each working toward filling the winning conditions of the game. The first country to do so will be declared as the winner of the game. This board is unique because it is a true representation of life and doesn’t look to distort anything as it actually stands. It is just another great example of how a little creative thinking can make for a great board game.

1. Operation Spider-Man Edition Board Game (Marvel Board Games Rating: 6/10)The game is about curing Spider-Man’s 11 ailments before it’s too late. These include Webbed Foot, Spider Cents, a radioactive spider bite and many others. With every successful operation, you earn a certain amount of money. The doctor with the most money by the time Spider-Man is all better wins the game.2. Chutes and Ladders Superhero Squad (Rating 8/10)Use your favorite Marvel superhero to race to the top as you would do in the popular, traditional chutes and ladders board game. As always, the ladders will take you forward and the chutes will bring you back down. The first player to get to the finish line wins the game.3. Marvel Matching Game (Rating 6/10)This is another classic matching game – but it features your favorite Marvel superheroes (and villains) on the cards.4. Marvel Heroes (8/10)This 2006 Marvel board game is played by 2 to 4 players (it’s best to play with four players) of the ages 12 and above. The players control a team of superheroes (i.e. the X-Men, the Avengers, Fantastic Four and the Marvel Knights) and the archenemy of the respective team (Magneto, Red Skull, Dr. Doom and Kingpin). Individual players get collaborators, adversaries and power-ups and battle the villains controlled by the other players.This game includes plastic figures of the various Marvel board game heroes and villains (nemeses). Each character is represented by these figures and character cards (cards that describe the characters’ special abilities). Each character has a different incarnation and they are all included in the game.5. A Marvel Deck Building Game (Rating 8/10)This game is a 2012 board game played by between one and five players (best with three players) of the age 14 and above. Players choose an instigator-villain (e.g. Loki, Magneto, Dr. Doom, etc.), stack the villain’s cards (attack) and then modify the deck depending on the villain’s scheme. The players will then choose superhero decks (e.g. Thor, Cyclops, Spider-Man, etc) and shuffle them. Throughout the course of the game, the heroes’ deck varies because the players only use a handful of the hero cards.A player will want to build a stronger deck of heroes, so he will draft as powerful a collection of hero cards as they can. To draft more heroes, a player will need to boost his recruitment powers. To fight off the villains and gain success hereof, the player will have to boost his fighting ability.There are five cards from which a player can recruit his heroes. The player reveals a villain (by adding him to the row of villains). This goes on with all the players until the limited villain-slots are filled up. When they fill up, the villain who has stayed in the row the longest time escapes – making room for the next player’s villain.When a villain turns up for the first time, he can take an action (to harm the innocent). The villains’ deck includes “master strike” cards which allow the instigator (mastermind) villain to take a bonus action.By defeating villains, the players amass points, which are then tallied at the end of the game.