Tried and true: We unboxed some old-fashioned holiday fun by playing and rating 8 new games

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Because many people are watching their pennies these days, you may be staying home this holiday season or scaling back on gift-giving. And although we live in a high-tech world, it may be a good time to go retro and purchase an old-fashioned board game to play with your spouse, significant other, family or friends. The "Star-Telegram" staff of Santa's helpers tried out several games on the market to give you the lowdown. Oh, and for those of you hopelessly immersed in technology, we even reviewed a DVD game. How the games stack up in order of highest grades:

Trapdoor Checkers

Manufacturer, price: Goliath Games, $29.99

How many players: 2

Ages: 7 and older

The object: To capture all the other players' checkers by jumping over them or by forcing them to fall into trapdoors. This is a traditional game of checkers but with a twist: There are four orange spaces with trapdoors and four with green. If you move your checker onto one of these spaces, you run the risk that the trapdoor will open and you will lose your piece. Each player begins his turn by spinning the "Randomizer." If it falls on black, you just make a traditional checkers move. If it falls on red or green, you first have to either open or close one of the trapdoors. Then you make your traditional checkers move.

What we liked: We like checkers, and the trapdoor additions to the game were fun. It made you rethink traditional strategies and added a layer of complexity to a classic game.

What we didn't like: The mechanisms on the trapdoors are a little clunky. The game overall has a cheap plastic feel.

What we learned: We realized we haven't played checkers in about three decades.

Good for: People who don't feel the need to talk a lot. We found ourselves studying the board in silence quite a bit. The game makers say this is good for ages 7 and older, but it might be a little challenging for younger players.

Last word: A very fun variation on a classic game. A winner.

Grade: A-

Tayu

Manufacturer, price: Goliath Games, $29.99

How many players: 2 or 4 (3 is an option but an even number is better)

Ages: The box says 7 and older; we think it's best for either adults or preteens and teenagers who have patience.

The object: This game is named after a Chinese hero who created waterways and kept his country from flooding. The object is to connect lines on the playing pieces (tiles) to create continuous water channels. If you play with two people, one tries to get the channels to end on the north and south sides of the square gameboard and the other goes east and west. If you play with four people, the players on north and south form one team and the east/west form the other. This sounds confusing, but once you start to play, it becomes pretty straightforward. The first player reaches into a bag, pulls out a tile and places it on the board. The next player, clockwise, does the same, but must connect the tile with the existing tile, matching up the lines on the surface. (As one of our players said, "It's a little like playing Scrabble, only without words.") In the end, you get points for every channel that ends on your sides of the board, although the scoring is a bit complicated (some positions on the board get double-points and the total score is the product of the sum of each side).

What we liked: We were quickly drawn into this game, which managed to please competitive and noncompetitive players. The game involves "strategerie," but you can't plan ahead _ you have to wait to get your one tile for that round and then make your move. Ironically, the Type As on our team liked this_it kind of forced them into not planning ahead, which came as a bit of a relief. And, as one player noted: "Despite the troubling presence of math in this game, it was kind of fun."

What we didn't like: Maybe it was all the talking we were doing while playing, but this game took a chunk of time _ an hour and 10 minutes.

What we learned: One of us (a graphic designer) was better than the rest (writers/editors) at instantly visualizing where a piece could fit in on the board.

Good for: Those who like strategy but don't want an overly competitive game.

Last word: It's easy to carry on a conversation while you play; we thought this would be a good choice for a night of sipping wine and chatting with friends.

Grade: B

Littlest Pet Shop

Manufacturer, price: Hasbro, $14.99

How many players: 2-4

Ages: 4 and up

The object: Think of this as the "Best of Show" for the pre-K set. Each player navigates around the board to collect three tokens that represent stages of preparation _ a clean bill of health from the Get Better Center, a shampoo at the Purr-fection Salon and a bow to accessorize your pet's look. The first player to collect all three items and arrive at the Prettiest Pet Show wins the game and the blue ribbon.

What we liked: The children (ages 4-8) easily understood the concept, and the game goes by fast enough to keep their attention. The kids also loved choosing the super-adorable bobble-head pets. At first, I thought they would be too cutesy for the boys, but they seemed to be OK with the frills.

What we didn't like: Parents beware! If you land on the monkeys, you're allowed to take other players' tokens away. Not a great message for tots who are just learning how to share and play nice with other children. At the end of the game, before you land on the Pet Show, the directional arrows are a bit confusing to the younger ones.

What we learned: For little ones, this is a good lesson on counting and following directions.

Good for: Families with children ages 4-6.

Last word: "Let's play again" was a refrain heard over and over. A good indication that the game will last past Christmas morning.

Grade: B

Deal or No Deal Board Game

Manufacturer, price: Pressman Toy, $14.98

How many players: 2-6 players

Ages: 8 to adult

The object: All maniacal greed, overzealous enthusiasm and leggy models of the hit NBC show "Deal or No Deal" are brought to your living room. Or at least that's the idea. The actual game, which confusingly complicates the very simple rules of the game show, is a mixed bag. One person gets to be the contestant, selecting a series of briefcases filled with assorted dollar amounts. Another gets to be the banker, periodically offering a "deal" to the contestant. The remaining players get to open the briefcases; by guessing what's inside, they can win money, too. After each person gets a turn as the contestant, the person with the most money is declared the winner.

What we liked: Much like the game show it's based upon, this game can be goofy fun, especially if you have players willing to get into the spirit of things. (One of our players kept shouting "Keep it low" as each new briefcase was opened; another made telephone ringing noises each time the banker had to deliver a new offer.)

What we didn't like: There are no mathematical guidelines for the banker's offers and the "deal" has to be paid out of the banker's pocket, so anyone in the banker role would be disinclined to offer a fair deal. Also, we first tried the game with three players, and it was a bore. Play it with at least four. Finally, the entire presentation felt a little lo-fi: One of our players thought it would have been more effective with an electronic game board. (This game does have a DVD version).

What we learned: The concept of the show is so basic that it translates even to a board game. (Also, some of our colleagues are really greedy, but we knew that already.)

Good for: Family members with a tenuous grasp of basic probability; budding Howie Mandel impressionists.

Last word: Younger players will probably get a kick out of all the deal-making, although adults might want to knock back a couple of glasses of wine before diving in. It's the kind of game that needs all the silliness you can bring to it.

Grade: B-

Rolit

Manufacturer, price: Goliath, $30

How many players: 2-4

Ages: 7 and older

The object: Players try to capture their opponents' pieces by surrounding them on either side with their own. The player with the most pieces showing their color at the end of the game wins.

What we liked: This was an easy game to learn and play.

What we didn't like: It wasn't all that fun, but then again, the three of us at the table weren't exactly members of the target demographic. It's basically Othello or Connect Four on steroids, but the novelty doesn't last. And staring at a board with sixty multicolored game pieces kind of made our eyes hurt.

What we learned: It's anyone's game. With a few strategically placed balls, you can easily come from behind and win.

Good for: Tic-tac-toe lovers and the easily entertained.

Last word: This one might end up in the back of the closet a little faster than most.

Grade: C+

Don't Forget the Lyrics!

Manufacturer, price: Parker Brothers, $63

How many players: 4 (2 teams)

Ages: 12 and older

The object: Spun off from the popular Fox TV game show, Don't Forget the Lyrics! tries to re-create the show's karaoke-lite feel in board-game form. The teams must choose from nine different categories_from pop songs to show tunes_and write down the missing lyrics in an effort to reach the million-dollar round and win big (fake) money. Sing or speak carefully, though, as one wrong guess will put you out of the running for the faux cash prize.

What we liked: The variety of genres offered (not to mention a few obscure tunes that had the music buffs scratching their heads) and the fact that the rules allow for some leeway in getting the lyrics exactly right. As one member of our group said, "Why should we get lyrics verbatim if the singers who actually perform the song can't always remember them?"

What we didn't like: Don't Forget the Lyrics! isn't terrifically complicated but still took us 90 minutes to complete. Part of the problem is there's no time limit for teams to decipher the missing lyrics. Also, the writing-down-missing-lyrics part was dropped by our group, simply because it was easier to say them. Those born before a few of the time periods highlighted in the game (the '60s, '70s and '80s) may find themselves befuddled by some of the songs.

What we learned: As another member of our group said, "All those thousands of hours we spent memorizing lyrics were NOT a waste of time. We should've done it more."

Good for: Those karaoke fiends who don't mind warbling pieces of songs in mixed company.

Last word: Don't pick this up expecting an easy, breezy trivia game_some of the songs are lesser-known, deep album cuts_but serious music fans will have fun.

Grade: C

CSI DVD game

Manufacturer, price: Parker Brothers, $19.95

How many players: 1-6

Ages: Adult

The object: This multiplayer, DVD-driven game promises that participants will "experience the intense drama" of the popular TV crime series. Players working as rival forensic investigators, not as colleagues who share findings, compete to solve one of five murder scenarios. After examining evidence at the crime scene and in the autopsy room and after hearing testimony from suspects and witnesses (presented on the TV screen by a cast of no-name actors), players must answer three Clue-style questions: Whodunit? When? And with what object?

What we liked: It does re-create the feel of the show at times, especially when witnesses and suspects tell their stories onscreen. The game also comes with an "investigation viewer" device. Hold it up to the TV screen during the suspect interview segments and, like a polygraph, it reveals when somebody's lying.

What we didn't like: The game has an extremely short lifespan. Once you've solved the five murder scenarios, the game is pretty much useless.

What we learned: It's just like when you've watched an episode of the show: Random factoids about rigor mortis, toxicology, DNA, etc., stay in your brain.

Good for: Mystery-game enthusiasts and the most die-hard "CSI" buffs.

Last word: It's like playing the classic board game Clue, but dressed up with higher-tech bells and whistles that, unfortunately, limit the game's shelf life.

Grade: C-

Loaded Questions - Political Party

Manufacturer, price: All Things Equal Inc., $14.99

How many players: 3-6

Ages: Teen-adult

The object: Each player tries to match his or her opponents with their responses to socially and politically oriented questions. The first player to correctly guess eight of his opponents' responses wins the game.

What we liked: It is extremely simple to play, and it does move at a brisk pace. In our game, a winner emerged in 25 minutes.

What we didn't like: If there are too few players involved, and if everyone is of roughly the same political, social and cultural persuasion, then all the answers soon sound the same and become predictable. The game's simplicity eventually makes it boring. The game needs to offer bonus points for the most creative, witty or out-there responses. That would motivate the players to come up with really unpredictable and amusing answers.

What we learned: Once in a while, a player's response to a certain issue surprised the other players. But in comparing the game to, for example, Trivial Pursuit, we felt we didn't learn much of anything_not even something trivial.

Good for: Inside-the-Washington-Beltway policy wonks with an opinion on just about any political issue would especially enjoy this game.

Last word: Referring to the overly serious nature of the game, one player said she would "rather bust out a deck of cards before playing this game again." To which another chimed in: "This game would be greatly improved if played with a good amount of alcohol."

Grade: C-

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(Catherine Mallette, Andrew Marton, Kari Linder, Jason Crane, David Martindale, Christopher Kelly, Preston Jones and Maricar Estrella contributed to this story.)

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© 2008, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.