NAPSI: Board games are on a roll again. That’s the word from experts who say this style of family and individual fun is hot once again and among the latest trends in games.

Extremely portable, with no batteries or assembly required, board games emphasize imagination and strategy on the part of the player. Plus, they’re affordable and hold the attention of children and parents alike.

Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D. (aka Dr. Toy), highly recommends board games as “an antidote to tech overload.” She suggests taking out games, playing as a family, putting the game and some popcorn on the table, and having fun together with plenty of laughter and conversation.

“These are times children remember best,” she said. “Games help children learn to follow instructions, plan strategy and handle playful competition.”

No more “bored” games
Some of the latest developments in board games are coming from GriddlyGames, Inc. and Heartland Consumer Products. In the case of Heartland, it has introduced a new game that’s designed to combine the best of both card games and dice games.

Called Square Shooters, the game comes with nine specially designed dice printed with a full deck of 52 cards plus two jokers—every playing-card face from a standard deck of cards. The game is a fast-action matching game: Flip a card that assigns a playing-card hand, then you have three rolls of the dice to try to match the hand. The dice are patented so they can be used to achieve “hands” ranging from four of a kind to royal flush.

According to the game’s makers, it’s more like a game set than just one game. They say that with seven extra games included in the instructions, the play opportunities are practically endless.

Players can use the game to create a dice version of almost any card game, including Rummy, Poker, 21 and many more games.

Looking for the wise one
Another recent addition to the world of board games (this one fromGriddly Games) is Wise Alec.

This is a multi award-winning family game that different ages can play together. It combines trivia, tongue twisters, good manners, clever choices and a little luck in an effort to find the wise alec.

This company also makes Oversight, a four-in-a-row strategy game that requires players to see every possible move to win. Play your piece or slide an entire row or column of the game board. You’ll need a lot of insight to see your way to a win at Oversight.

Fun and economical
In addition to offering family fun that’s portable, entertaining and often educational, board games are thought by many to offer excellent value.

For what amounts to, in many cases, less than the price of a pizza or a movie, families can have a great time, several times over.

To learn more, visit www.squareshooters.com andwww.griddlygames.com. North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.