by Sky Wyatt

Created on: October 24, 2009

Abstract board games are great Christmas gifts for those people who love to be intellectually stimulated. Abstract board games are all about strategy. Here are few my family and I have enjoyed playing.

1. Checkers. This is a classic game that is relatively easy to learn how to play. Sometimes the game is short and sometimes it is long. Either way you are sure to have lots of Christmas cheer with this game.

2. Chess. It is basically a harder version of Checkers with more pieces and more rules to learn. I wouldn't really recommend this for smaller children because it is hard how to learn to play it. I have played it only a few times and every time I have had to get told how to play it again.

3. Mancala. This is a really fun game that doesn't take too long to play. It is actually a great game for children. This is one of the first abstract board games I think I have learned how to play.

4. Risk. This is a perfect game for those who wish to dominate the world because that is the exact thing you are trying to do in this game. It has a lot of small pieces, so small children shouldn't recieve this game as a gift.

5. Settlers of Catan. This is one of my all-time favorite strategy games. It is popular in Germany and is quite fun. You can have up to four players and requires you to trade with other players as well as build roads, settlements, and cities. It isn't that hard to play, but you can't really learn to play just from reading the directions.

6. Careers is also a stimulating game. In this, you get to choose your own goals and can strive for fame, fortune, happiness or any combination of these three. It is really a great game for the whole family.

7. Chaos is a very chaotic strategy game as mentioned in the name. It is easy to learn how to play, yet more difficult than you would think to win.

8. Doubles Wild is a great game for the whole family as well. The object of the game is to get as many 3-in-a-rows possible in any direction. You just have to watch the small pieces, and there are a lot of them to watch.

No matter what age the reciever is, he or she is sure to love all of these games.

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