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.

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.

Quarto has been among the best selling two-player games in our stores for the past several years. This is another game which is nice to touch and see. The rules are quickly taught. One of our staffers is so good at this game, we've occasionally offered a prize to the customer who can beat him in front of witnesses -- a safe offer.

The twist to the game is that your opponent gets to pick the piece that you must place during your turn, and vice versa! The winner is the one to place the fourth-in-a-row with any one feature in common. Each piece is a wooden block which is either cylindrical or square; tall or short; light or dark; and hollow or solid. A "Quarto" is four-in-a-row with any one of these qualities in common, e.g. all cylindrical or all hollow or all dark. Don't overlook height! You can win with four short pieces in a row, regardless of color, shape, or solidity.

Despite the longish description here, Quarto is actually quite simple to learn, very interesting to play, and nice to see and touch.

Abalone is one of our favorite two-player strategy games. The object is simple: push six of your opponent's marbles off the board before he or she does the same thing to you. The board is hexagonal, with divots in which the marbles rest, and a track around the edge to catch them as they are pushed off. Connecting the divots are shallow grooves; players push their marbles from divot to divot along these grooves. Marbles make a satisfying clunk as they land in divots. On his turn, a player may push up to three marbles together a single space in any of six directions. These marbles can be used to push your opponent's marbles as well, as long as you "outweigh" them in the direction you're moving. (i.e., three can push two, two can push one, or three can push one. Three can't push three, because you don't outnumber them.)

If your movement pushes an opponent's marble off the board, it is considered out of play and counts toward your goal of six. Beware overconfidence, though. Since marbles may move in six different directions around the board, it's easy to overlook weak spots in your defense! Cutting your opponent's marbles from the herd may leave you open to attack as well. A game averages about 30 minutes; the rules are simple enough that children can learn to play easily (in fact, I have been severely drubbed by a few eight-year-olds in my years of teaching this game in the store!) The board is heavy-duty black plastic, and the marbles are glass. Due to the size of the marbles (1" diameter) we do not recommend this game for children under 3.

Mankala is an ancient head-to-head strategy game from Africa. I know a returned Peace Corps volunteer who claims to have lost many a game to little kids who had made their game board by scraping holes in the dirt and collecting stones from the creek bed. Read more about Mankala Lore at this link.

The rules are easy to learn, although there are many variations. Clear thinking and good planning are needed to win.

Softwood mancala with 48 glass beads is 18 inches long.

The object of the game is to align your four pegs in a row, while preventing your opponent from doing the same. In order to zigzag around the game board and maneuver your pegs into position, you must bridge the gaps between holes with "roads" only you can travel on. Be the first you align your four pegs horizontally, vertically, or diagonally-and zigzag your way to victory.

The object of the game is to advance your pawn to the opposite edge of the board. On your turn you may either move your pawn or place a wall. Walls can hinder your opponents progress, but not stop him completely. Naturally, he is trying to do the same to you.

Nice wooden components are enjoyable to handle. Contents: Wooden board which stores as well as plays the 20 fences, four pawns, and rules.

Quoridor has won a number of awards including Mensa, Parent's Choice Gold, and Grand Prix du Jouet. There is a four player variant, but we like the two player game better.

18 x 5 x 2.5 inches.

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.

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.