In this age of digital technology, board games are experiencing an unexpected boom. Board games not only offer hours of round-the-table fun for the family but sharpen children’s cognitive functions as well.

Here are three you can play as a family:

Taboo

This is a simple party game. Each round, the challenge is to get your partners to guess the word on the card in hand while avoiding the word itself. Watching a battle of their wits between loved ones raises chuckles and promises hours of fun. This game will no doubt expand the word vocabulary of the young ones as they learn through play.

Clue

Also known as Cluedo, this is a thrilling ‘whodunit’ that teases the sleuth in your family. The murder mystery game leads everyone on a trail to gather clues in a mansion. Character, weapon and location cards are placed in a secret file in the middle of the board. Players must move to a room by rolling the dice and then accuse a character of murdering in it with a specific weapon. Each player must uncover the cards in other players’ hands by making more allegations. Through deduction, the player can then figure out which cards are in the secret file. The first player to do so cracks the case. Expect hours of fun as the thrill spill from the board to everyone at the table. Just dim the lights as they play!

Labyrinth

The game pits witches and wizard in an ever-changing maze. Players get turns to rearrange it. The player aims to collect treasures in the labyrinth and return to their own starting position. Other players sabotage by changing their routes. The game is like the role-playing Dungeons & Dragons that suits children. This fires their imagination and inculcates creativity in the long run.

The good old fashioned board game is a great way to get teenagers and their friends to sit down and interact with one another. These days, they tend to bury their noses in smartphones. A board game can get everyone away from the screen and into each other’s company.

Now get ready for a rolling good time where everyone can be a winner.