Gameland Deluxe Wooden Ludo Set

The game that taught most of us that family members cannot be trusted.

A proper wooden Ludo board, just under 30 cm across, for the cupboard, the holiday house or the grandparents' coffee table. It is the same race-round-the-cross game that has been played in one form or another for well over a century, and it looks considerably better than the folded cardboard version you remember.

You need a six to leave home, and then it is a straight race to get your pieces round and into the centre. The cruelty is in the capture rule: land on an opponent and they go all the way back to the start, which is exactly as satisfying and exactly as upsetting as it sounds. Simple enough for a six-year-old, and a six-year-old will happily send you back three times in a row.

Perfect for: Families who need one game everyone already knows the rules to, and at least one relative who still brings up the time you sent them home in 1998.

2–4 players | Age 6+ | Wooden board, about 28.5 cm