Othello was an instant classic when it appeared on the market. Simple to learn, subtle to master. Anyone can play.

The object is to have a majority of the disks flipped to your color at the end of the game. Things can change rapidly from black to white to black again. Trap disks of the opposite color between two of your own, and they all flip to your color.

Warning: Choking Hazard. Small Parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.

Gobblet is Carlos' favorite new strategy game. "As good or better than Quarto !" Goal is simple. Line up four of your pieces in a row. Challenge lies in the fact that larger pieces can gobble up smaller ones.

The pieces nest like those barrels we played with in preschool. 4x4 board and 24 nesting pieces called Gobblets (3 stacks of 4 in each color). On your turn, you may play from the top of one of your stacks onto either an empty square or a smaller Gobblet of either color that is already on the board. Or you can move one Gobblet that is already on the board onto an adjacent square. Our favorite moment (aside from victory) is when opponent moves a Gobblet to reveal smaller one beneath in an advantageous position.

In other words, the game is simple to learn, yet interesting to play.

Problem is knowing which of your opponent's pieces IS the flag, as opposed to say a bomb or a spy. The identity of a piece is only revealed when struck. Use deduction, luck, and tactics to find and capture the other guy's flag before yours falls.

Every game is different because players begin by arranging their different pieces. When I was growing up, we often came back to our Stratego game. It would be fun to see how many of our house rules and variants the sibs can remember.

See also Ultimate Stratego for the 4 player version.

Warning: Choking Hazard. Small Parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.

This game was fun when I was a kid and it is still fun. The code maker sets up four colored pegs behind a shield. Code breaker tries to discover which colors and in what order are the hidden pegs. Over 2,000 combinations are possible.

During up to 10 turns, the code breaker puts out a row of pegs. Code maker indicates how many are of a correct color and how many are in a correct position. Using deductive logic, the player gradually learns enough to solve the puzzle.

Game console has tray for storing pegs, code shield, 108 code pegs in 6 colors and 30 key pegs in two colors, instructions.

Warning: Choking Hazard. Small Parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.

For more than twenty years, Pente was in our top 10 great games list. It is an outstanding 2 player game which can be learned in 2 minutes and will engage the mind from then on. Evolved from the oriental game Go-Mo-Ku, Pente is a game in which players take turns placing stones on the board. Object is to place five in a row, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. You can also win by capturing five pairs of the opponent's stones. Capturing is done by bracketing the opponent's pair with one of your stones at each end.

Out of print since 2002, Pente in the tube is once again available. The board feels just about as great as it used to, and the "new rules" have been changed to variations on the game, including a great fix on the first person advantage for Points Pente. The only big difference between this and the original tube edition are the colors. All in all, we're happy with the changes.

Contains: 1 roll-up Pente gameboard, 4 sets of colored stones (amber, blue, green and gray), 4 colored velour stone bags, travel tube and rules.

Warning: Choking Hazard. Small Parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.

Warning: Choking Hazard. Small Parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.