by Jamie Elizabeth

Created on: March 31, 2009

Trivial Pursuit, with myriad versions now available, can be a fun and engaging game for nearly anyone. The classic Genus Edition is still the best, and most popular, for trivia buffs who like to show off their arcane knowledge at cocktail parties and among family and friends at New Year's Eve parties, but with pop culture, 1980s, Baby Boomer, and sports editions now available, the game casts a wide net of popularity and effectiveness. And, of course, for the children, there is always the junior edition. Adults may be surprised at how some of the questions aimed at the younger crowd stump even them!

The concept of Trivial Pursuit is simple (and now the basis of a television game show). Players proceed around the board attempting to fill their game piece, a pie, with wedges of different colors by answering questions in different categories. The categories differ from game edition to game edition, but in the Genus Edition they include Arts and Literature, Sports and Leisure, History, and Science and Nature. The game can be played either as individuals or in teams.

Playing in teams has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage to playing in a team, is perhaps obviously, that you have a larger compendium of knowledge to use, and this is especially helpful if each player is an expert in one or two specific areas. However, this can easily become a disadvantage when arguments over answers arise, especially when you have two self-appointed experts on a subject who are playing for the same time. One way to avoid this problem turning into a game ruining issue is to set time limits for deciding the answer. Also, be sure to remember that this is a friendly board game and not Jeopardy! No money will be won or lost (well, not unless you make it a betting game), and Alex Trebek won't be there to mock you for getting a wrong answer.

Use Trivial Pursuit as a party game or simply use the cards to keep yourself occupied if you don't feel like reading a book. Get the different editions and, or even just the additional card sets to keep things interesting, especially if you find yourself playing with the same group of people over and over again. You'll learn something new and interesting each time you play even about the subjects which you thought you knew everything. Should you triumph and fill up your pie piece with wedges before your opposition, well, then you have a right to make the claim to be the genius you always knew you were!

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