Throughout human history, humans have strived to create entertainment, and board games have satisfied that need for centuries. In fact, the ancient Egyptians are responsible for what is the oldest board game ever, created in 3500 B.C. While the board games of today are far more complex than those of centuries ago, the evolution of the board game represents humans’ desire for simple fun. Modern board games aim to do just that, but some do it better than others.
No. 1: Clue
Clue is a classic board game invented in 1943 by Anthony E. Pratt. The goal of the game is to determine three critical details surrounding a fake murder in a mansion. Players roll the dice to move from room to room in the mansion, trying to figure out these three key details related to the murder: what the murder weapon was, which room it happened in, and who committed the crime. Players receive cards with these details, but the most important cards are the ones hidden under the board; these are the three cards, hidden at the beginning of the game, that each player strives to figure out. Players obtain information from other players as they move around the board and propose hypothetical scenarios to one another. If anyone has a card containing one of the details, they have to show it to the person who proposed it.
Clue does an exemplary job of making everyone feel like a true detective, actually trying to solve a murder. Keeping track of every detail and trying to form our final accusation while racing other players adds a level of urgency that enhances the game’s overall tone. But the movement of the game can be frustrating, to the point where players may be sitting out for two or three rounds without getting to a room because their dice roll isn’t sufficient to move them elsewhere. The movement takes some of the enjoyment out of being a detective, earning Clue an overall four out of five feathers.
No. 2: Game of Life
The Game of Life, as its name suggests, is a game that simulates life and its activities. Each player is given a car along with a peg that is meant to represent them. Players take turns using a spinner to determine how many spaces to advance. In this game, a player may choose to go to college or just go straight into business, buy insurance, and take risks that could determine their net worth for the rest of the round. At the end of the game, if players don’t think they have more money than all the other players, they can put everything on one number on the one-10 spinner, and if that number comes up, they automatically win the game. However, if their number does not show up, you are eliminated from the game. For those who believe they have enough money to win the game straight up, they count up their money, and whoever has the most wins.
The Game of Life is very fun to play; it is also usually quite long, and skill is not a significant part of the eventual outcome. The unpredictability is undeniable. On one turn, you might win 100,000 dollars, but on another turn, you might have to buy a helicopter for 50,000 dollars on credit, when you are already holding multiple promissory notes to the bank. While the unpredictability makes for a fun game night, you may have to set aside your whole evening to play this game, especially if you have four or more people playing. This game naturally plays slowly and takes forever to finish. On top of this, as noted above, The Game of Life is all luck; if the spinner is not going your way, there is not much you can do. I do wish that there was an element of skill in this game. On top of how long it takes to complete, the random nature of the game hurts its overall rating, putting it at 3.5 out of five feathers.
No. 3: Risk
Risk is the ultimate board game of warfare and destruction. This game is sure to anger you in more ways than one. The goal of the game is to take over the world using military force, with an element of luck in rolling dice. The gameboard is a map of the real world, and each player has their own army. Throughout the game, players form alliances with other players, gather soldiers, and take as much land as possible while also defending themselves. Closing out this game can be extremely difficult and annoying, since a player with one or two troops left can run around the map and get lucky enough to prolong their inevitable elimination.
Overall, Risk is an aggravating game that takes hours to finish. Whenever you think someone is about to get knocked out, they can make a miraculous recovery and receive enough army personnel to last them another hour. Not to mention, this game is very aggressive and might even put a strain on your relationships with other players. That being said, there is a lot of strategy involved in the game, so if you are looking for a complex game dependent on strategy, Risk may be the one for you. But the aggression and unnecessarily long time to complete earn Risk two out of five feathers.
No. 4: Sorry!
Sorry! is a game of strategy and card-based movement. Each player has four pieces that start from a home base. To leave this home base, players need to draw a one or a two card to bring one piece out. From there, players try to send their pieces around the whole square-shaped board, without getting landed on or sent back to start with a Sorry! card. The player who successfully guides all four of their pieces into their final winner’s area wins the game.
Setbacks in Sorry! could not be more annoying, especially when you are sent back to the start by a Sorry! card. When a player draws a Sorry! card, it allows the player to take a player from their starting home base and knock out any opposing pieces in play. But at the same time, being able to mess with other players in this game is half the fun. It’s a double-edged sword: it’s very fun to use a Sorry! card, but a lot less fun to have one played on you. That being said, sometimes you can get unlucky from the start. If you are unable to pull a one or a two, you could be stuck at the start of the game while everybody else is advancing and making plays. This form of movement does not seem necessary, but overall, Sorry! is a very competitive game, earning a four out of five feathers. It’s also a relatively quick game to play, especially when compared to The Game of Life.
No. 5: Monopoly
Whenever you think “board game,” you think Monopoly. From its overt representation of capitalism to the iconic Monopoly man, Monopoly is a game of finance and strategy. Players pick their tokens and advance around the board, seeking to purchase property, which, if landed on by a different player, earns them rent. Properties have colors, colored properties are all next to each other, and when a player gets all the cards of a certain color, they get a monopoly. Once a player has a monopoly, that player can build houses, which eventually lead to a hotel, which drastically increases the rent players owe when they land on the spaces. When a player runs out of money, they go bankrupt and are eliminated from the game. The last player standing wins and is the ultimate landlord.
Monopoly is the holy grail of board games, incorporating both luck and skill perfectly. Players move around the board with dice, hence the luck aspect of the game. But every part of the game is skill. Chances are, players are not going to roll themselves into a monopoly, which requires players to trade properties to mutually benefit each other. And when a player reaches a monopoly, they need to plan out when they should build houses and how much money they should pour in. If you have to sell a house, you only get half the money the player paid, so players have to be careful not to go all in. Monopoly is the perfect board game, including the right amount of luck and skill, while keeping the mood relatively calm. Monopoly earns itself a five out of five feathers.
These five board games are classics, and which game you prefer may depend on multiple factors. Risk, The Game of Life, and Monopoly are long, no question. Players need to know how long they want to play, what mood they are going for, and whether they actually want to play a game that provokes intense strategy and competition. All five of these games have their upsides, solidifying themselves as some of the best board game options out there. The evolution of board games through history shows our dedication to the craft of well-thought-out board games, and these five games are direct examples of that passion.
Anton Ego • Dec 10, 2025 at 10:50 AM
How on earth is Sorry a 4/5 while Risk is a 2/5? Sorry is about as interesting as watching paint dry and you’re scoring it twice as high as one of the best wargames ever created? Please.