Bored? Try a board game! There’s never been a better time to dust off your childhood games and have an old fashioned games night.

Scrabble is always a winner. Monopoly will keep you going for hours, days even. But if you feel like something a bit more strategic try ‘Ticket to Ride’ or ‘Zug um Zug’ as it’s called in German.

This game is ideal for players aged 8+. You basically have to fulfill short and long train journeys by laying tracks across the country. It’s strategic but not complicated, and no matter how many times you play, you always feel as though you’re doing something new.

Players collect and play matching train cards to claim the railway routes. The longer the routes the more points you earn. Additional points go to the player who fulfils their destination tickets or the one who builds the longest, continuous railway.

We bought it recently and it’s already a firm family favorite.

A word on Monopoly.

You can’t mention board games without mentioning Monopoly. When I was a kid a game of Monopoly might go on for days. Nowadays, the aim is to win quickly. Theoretically, you can do it in seven rolls of the dice. This would involve one player buying the most expensive properties and putting houses on them before the other player has had time to get around the board. It’s practically impossible.

I’ve found the way to get the game over with as quickly as possible is to make use of the auction rule. If a player lands on an unowned property and decides not to buy it, the bank offers it up for auction, so other players can bid for it. This way, properties are snapped up quickly, and once you’ve negotiated with other player to get ‘sets’, you can start building houses and hotels that will completely wipe out the opposition as quickly as possible. That’s how we roll.

What are your tactics? And what board game do you recommend? Drop us a note in the comments.