Ashley's 2008 Boardgame Bonanza

I play a lot of games with my daughter. She's now 8, which is really the time, for her at least, that we can start to show her more advanced games. No, she can't sit down for a leisurely game of Tigris and Euphrates, but we've moved past the Gulo Gulo stage.

I'm saving my Ashley videogame list for a column at GameShark -- but for cardboard -- I'll just rattle them off here. I have no idea if I mentioned any of these games last year, so if there are repeats...ah well.

Ticket to Ride - I'll never play this with a group of adults but it's a great game to introduce Ashley to the world of non-kid board gaming. Plus you can find this damn near everywhere now. Even Xbox Live.

The Black Pirate - Can't find this one at Target. This is a European game that's great for kids. It comes with an ear drop air puffer that you use to push ships across the board. Super components and using that air puffer highlight this one. I have yet to see a kid that didn't like this one.

Sorry Sliders - Yep, Sorry. For the super mass produced games out there, Sorry isn't bad. But Sorry Sliders is full on fun. It's a dexterity game and if you can find it (it's selling like mad) you should snag it.

Qwirkle - Scrabble with shapes. This is a great brain burner for young gamers and you can find it all over in malls across the nation.

Loopin' Louie - This is a real kiddie game but I love games with motors. Ok...well, Ashley does. Easy, cheap, and addictive and mass produced.

Midnight Party - A nice ghostly game that works with a lot of people. Midnight Party (also called Ghost Party) is fun for kids and is easy to learn. This gets played on Halloween every year.

Mr. Jack - Another "hot" game that I'll never play with another adult, but for Ashley this 2-player deduction game works her noggin' and she loves playing Jack. Not sure what that says about her...

I'll link that videogame piece when it goes up.