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Gift guide: Table alternatives to video games (AP)
Computer and video games and their ever-greater realism get most of the attention these days. What most people don’t realize is that non-computer games, the kind that have you sit down face to face and actually spend some time with other people, have also been getting better. There’s no need to suffer through another largely random game of Monopoly or get into another argument over whether you can use the word "qi" in Scrabble. And even people who know about modern classics like Carcassonne or The Settlers of Catan can find something new to be excited about this holiday season. Here are some top contenders:
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Zooloretto (Rio Grande Games)
The object of this game is to stock your zoo with cute animals, but underneath are rules that, while simple, force players to think ahead and make tough decisions. It’s as challenging for adults as for kids. This game won the German board game critics’ "Game of the Year" award last year. For two to five players, but plays best with at least three. Age 8 and up. ($36)
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Jungle Speed (Asmodee Editions)
This could be the game to capture the computer gamers who think table games are boring because they lack action. Each player gets a stack of cards and flips them over in turn. If two players flip over cards with the same symbol, the race is on to see who is the first to grab a wooden stick placed at the center of the table. The game can lead to scratched fingers, but it’s an addictive experience equivalent to a couple of cups of coffee. This game from France is rarely stocked in stores, but can be found online. Best for four to eight players, age 7 and up. ($22)
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Say Anything (North Star Games)
A lighthearted party game that’s an alternative to Pictionary, Cranium and the ilk. One player asks the others a question like "What would be the worst possible pizza topping?" They write down answers, then vote on which answer they think is the most likely to be picked by the questioner as the best. In a test with adults, the answers quickly got raunchy, but everyone had a good time. Box says three to eight players, but would work best with at least four. Age 13 and up. ($20)
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Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries (Days of Wonder)
She’s got a ticket to ride ... to Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki! This is a sequel to the ingeniously simple and successful Ticket to Ride, which has players competing to blanket a map of train routes with their rides. "Nordic Countries" is optimized for two to three players, while the older game comes into its own with three or four. There are a few twists to the rules that are missing in the original, but it’s still a very easy game to learn. And with the new map, you’ll learn so much about the geography of Scandinavia! Age 7 and up. ($50)
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Incan Gold (Funagain)
Ostensibly, this game is about exploring a jungle ruin for treasure, but it’s really about weighing risk and reward. Each turn, a player makes only one decision: Do I head further into the ruin, or do I head back to the safety of the camp? It seems like an easy call, but to win, you also have to guess what the other players are doing. Believe it or not, this simple game simulates the competitive pressures and risky behavior that precipitated the latest financial crisis. And you can tell your kids it’s about being Indiana Jones! For three to eight players age 8 and up, but it’s so simple that even younger kids can take part. ($20)
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Pandemic (Z-Man Games)
In an unusual setup, the players of this game don’t compete — they cooperate to beat the game and save the world from devastating diseases. They take the roles of medical professionals who travel the world to find cures and treat the sick. A suspenseful game that emphasizes teamwork and planning, it’s only slightly more complicated than Monopoly. The creepy theme could make kids see the world as one big hotbed of disease, but the art isn’t graphic and the effects of disease are kept abstract. For one to four players, age 10 and up. ($35)
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Battlestar Galactica (Fantasy Flight Games)
This game is terrific at emulating the desperation and paranoia of the sci-fi TV show. The players start out as humans, cooperating to save the last remnants of the race from destruction by the robotic Cylons. The twist is that one of them may secretly be a Cylon who is sabotaging the team. This isn’t really a family game, because it’s relatively complex, takes two to three hours to play and has dark themes. But fans of the show should be more thrilled than Starbuck scoring a hit on a Cylon Raider. For three to six players, age 10 and up. ($50)
精品推荐: 能与视频游戏媲美的桌面游戏（美联社）
近来，计算机与视频游戏凭借其越来越强的真实感，而倍受青睐。而大多数人没有注意到非电脑游戏，那种要坐下来与其它人面对面，在现实中花掉一些时间的游戏，其实也变得越来越有趣。没有必要再去忍受另一款《大富翁》那样的随机度颇高的游戏，也不需要再绞尽脑汁地苦苦寻觅那种让您可以用“qi”（Quite Interesting即“非常有趣”）这个词去形容的游戏。让即使是熟悉“卡尔卡松”和“卡坦岛”这类现代经典游戏的人们，也能在这个假期找到新的乐趣。以下是此类游戏中的佼佼者：
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动物园大亨（Rio Grande Games出品）
这款游戏的目标是将可爱的动物们都赶进你的动物园，但是要在一定的规则下进行，简单来说，就是需要游戏参与者在充分思考的前提下，做艰难的决定。此款游戏充满挑战，老少皆宜。在去年德国的棋盘游戏评选中获得“年度最佳”。游戏需要2-5名游戏者参与，最佳人数为3人以上。适宜年龄为8岁以上。（36美元）
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图腾快手（Asmodee Editions出品）
此款游戏有可能会吸引这样一部分人的眼球，他们觉得桌面游戏无聊，因为缺乏动感。在游戏中，每个游戏者都会得到一堆卡片，然后将其依次翻转。如果两名游戏者翻转到有相同图案的卡片，就来比赛看谁先抓到桌子中心的那根木棒。这个游戏不小心可能会擦伤手指，但同时喜爱它的人玩起来，也会像咖啡成瘾者一杯接一杯的喝咖啡那样，欲罢不能。此款法国游戏在商店中很难找到，但是从网上可以购买。最佳游戏人数4-8人，适宜年龄7岁以上。(22美元)
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你问我答 (North Star Games出品)
这是一种能让人轻松愉悦的聚合游戏，当你的玩腻了“图典”，“涂鸦”或是“伊尔克”（一种以发明者的名字命名的纸牌游戏），它就不失为一种好的选择。游戏中其中一人可能会问其他人这样的问题：“畅销的比萨饼中，最烂的是哪一种？”大家各自写下答案，然后投票选出参与者认为最好的一个答案。在成年人的游戏测试中，问题的答案很快就会变得低级，但每个人玩儿的都很开心。逻辑上该游戏需要3-8人参与，但4人以上为佳。适宜年龄13岁以上。（20美元）
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旅行的车票：北欧地图版（Days of Wonder出品）
游戏者拿着一张去旅行的车票，可能要去斯德哥尔摩，奥斯陆，还有赫尔辛基。此款游戏是基于设计简洁而又成功的老版的旅行的车票，那一版中游戏者比赛用他们手中的车票来填好地图中列车行驶的路线。“北欧地图版”对2-3游戏进行了优化，而老版的游戏需要3-4人参与才能达到最佳的游戏效果。新的游戏中添加了原版中所没有的一些难点，但仍然是一个简单易学的游戏。而且有了新的地图，你可以学到更多斯堪的纳维亚(半岛)的地理知识。适宜年龄7岁以上。（50美元）
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印加宝藏 (Funagain出品)
顾名思义，此款游戏是要在荒废的丛林中探险并寻找宝藏，但事实上，游戏是要在危险和收益之间做出权衡。每一环，游戏者只做一个决定：是要继续向前深入丛林还是回头到安全地带驻扎。游戏的要求似乎很简单，但是想赢，你还要去猜想其实游戏者正在做什么。你也许不信，该游戏模拟了竞争的压力和冒险行为所导致的即将发生的金融危机。你可以告诉孩子，你正在出演《夺宝奇兵》。适宜3-8个8岁以上的游戏者，但是它很简单，所以稍小的孩子也是可以参与的。
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流行病(Z-Man Games出品)
此款游戏的设置的比较特殊，游戏者并不是在竞争——他们合作来一起打败游戏，将全世界从毁灭性的病毒传播中解救出来。他们扮演医学专家的角色，游历世界寻找治病良方。这是一款强调团队合作和前期规划的紧张刺激的游戏，只是稍微比《大富翁》复杂一些。令人毛骨悚然的音乐会让孩子们觉得整个地球变成了一个病毒肆虐的温床，但是图形并不生动，对病毒所造成影响的描绘也很抽象。游戏人数1-4人，适宜年龄10岁以上。（35美元）
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太空堡垒卡拉迪加(Fantasy Flight Games出品)
此款游戏体验很像是在看该科幻小说改编的电视剧，将其中的孤注一掷与妄想描绘的淋漓尽致。游戏者以人类的身份出发，合力挽救正在遭受一种名叫Cylon的机器人的破坏的人类最后仅存的种族。纠结在于他们中的一员可能秘密的成了Cylon人，正在破坏这个组织。该游戏并不能算作真正的家庭游戏，因为它相对比较复杂，玩儿起来要花掉两三个小时，并且主题比较灰暗。但游戏的痴迷者眼见星巴克打退Cylon人入侵时的兴奋程度，绝对不亚于她本人吧。游戏人数3-6人，适宜年龄10岁以上。（50美元）
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