There are lots of board games on the market to choose from, sometimes it is hard to know what to pick. But there are always the old classics to fall back on that have been around for decades, if not centuries. Games like the family board game Snakes & Ladders, a game of Indian origin that first came to the UK in the 1890s.
Snakes & Ladders is a worldwide classic board game. It is a family board game where no skill is involved, no questions to answer and your chances of winning all comes down to luck and the throw of the dice. It can be played just as easily by the youngest of players as the eldest and is just as much fun for all. It was one of my favourite games as a child and is still fun to play today.
The game board features 100 squares and players must work their way from square 1 to 100 with the aid of ladders to propel them up the board quicker, or snakes to drop them down and slow their progress (to the delight of the other players)!
There are lots of different Snakes & Ladders games to purchase, and it is either a game for 2-4 players or 2-6 players depending on what version you buy, but the rules and gameplay are always the same (at least in any version that I have played). I have been using a wooden version for 2-4 players.
To play, each player takes a different coloured pawn and rolls the dice. The player that rolls the highest number gets to start first. The game is played clockwise from the starting player. The starting player rolls the dice and moves their pawn accordingly, each time a player rolls a six that player gets another roll of the dice. If a player lands on a square which has the base of a ladder, they can move their pawn up to the top of the ladder (e.g. if a player lands on square number 27 they can move their pawn up the ladder to square 69). But if a player lands on a square with a head of the snake, they must follow the snake to its tail (e.g. if a player lands on square number 95 they follow the snake down to square number 53). If a player lands on a space that is occupied by another player, the opponent’s pawn is removed, and they must start again from the beginning. The winner is the first player to land on the 100 square, but an exact throw is required to get there – if you are an square 98, rolling a 3 is no good, it has to be 2.
Overall, I love playing Snakes & Ladders and I have since a child. It is a fun game to play, and it all comes down to who is the luckiest player. It can take as little as 10 minutes to play or as long as 30+ depending on how often and unlucky players are to keep landing on the snake squares.
Snakes & Ladders is a classic family board game that is so simple to play, has lots of enjoyment as is perfect for family game nights as something quick to play before the bigger and longer games come out.
Simple fun for all the family, especially the younger players that are just starting to enjoy sitting around the table playing games. A game that every board game loving household should own.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £12.99
Available to buy from Amazon here.
DISCLOSURE: All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review uses an affiliate link which I may receive a small commission from if you purchase through the link.
