Do you drool at the site of Monopoly money? Know the difference between a snake and a ladder? Get most of your history, geography and science education from Trivial Pursuit? If you answered yes to any of these questions, well, it's time you admit it. You're probably a board game junky. But if you haven't played a board game in a while, you've probably forgotten how much fun they can be. In any case, there are lots of games out there. Whatever makes you tick, there's one for you on the 'Net.

To buy online, check out Master Mind Toys, Toad Hall Toys and Toy Boutique. These sites offer a wide selection of board and card games - anything from Monopoly to Taboo and beyond. Or try Levalet -- a site that offers board games in both English and French. Or, for the slightly older set, History Makers is an excellent site for historic military games, and even offers hand-painted chess sets. If you're into crafting games yourself, take a peak at Vintage Games and buy a woodworking plan for table hockey or a crokinole board. Warning: playing games has been known to result in exceptional happiness and has, in certain cases, led to the skipping of a television program.

Choosing a game for your tyke

There are so many reasons why buying board games for your kids, is a great idea. As we just mentioned above, board games are a great way to pull the kids away from the television and give them something to do that requires communication and thinking.

So what should you be looking for in a game? That really depends on your children and what interests them. Is Jessica a big reader or does she like math or strategic games? Try to figure this out first, or else your game could just end up collecting dust. Sure, you might be tempted to buy an educational game for your kids that you think is interesting, but if you don't take your kids' likes and dislikes into consideration, they might not share your enthusiasm. Of course, a new game that is out of your child's realm of interest might turn out to be the first step towards a lifelong love of say, dominoes or chess.

But remember to check out the recommended age for the game. There's nothing worse than buying a game that is well beyond or below the child's capabilities.

Choosing a board game for you

The best board games are the ones that keep you entranced for as long as you want to play the game. And they don't have to be super complex to accomplish that goal. Just ask David Carpenter, a Toronto-based board game aficionado who has been collecting board games and rulebooks since he was in elementary school. "I think there's a certain beauty to simple rules," he says. "I like the strategic aspect of playing and learning from your mistakes and getting better that way."

Take a moment to think about the rules of chess. At face value, the rules do seem simple, but we all know that it's how players use these rules that determines how complex the game becomes. When deciding which game to buy, take several factors into consideration. Are you interested, for example, in spending time alone, or would you prefer something more social? For Craig Miller, the owner of and artistic force behind Vintage Games, board games allow for "time spent with the entire family." Similarly, if you're looking for an intellectual challenge, you might choose a historic or military strategy game.

Playing with friends

Or maybe you want a game that you can pull out at night at the cottage or even for a party with friends. One of the best Canadian games out on the market for social playing is still Trivial Pursuit. There are versions for movie lovers, sports freaks and kids. For an evening of intrigue and suspense, there's any number of murder mystery games available now. Just pick one and invite the gang over. By the end of the night, you'll discover who the murderer in your midst is.

Board games go high-tech

One of the biggest trends in board games these days is the computerization of old favourites. Want to play Monopoly on your laptop? You can. How about Scrabble? That too. Companies such as Hasbro have developed arms of their companies that deal exclusively with CD-ROM and Internet-based offerings that reinvent their classic games. One CD-ROM game on the market today, Pandora's Box, is one of Carpenter's favourites right now, even though it's not a real board game. But he says it's even better.

"Some high-tech games can have the same flavour as a regular puzzle game but they utilize the capabilities of the computer in ways that you could never do with physical puzzle games. You can manipulate images and work with them and stretch them," he says.

Time to choose

Whether you go high-tech or simply want to play a game of checkers, board games are an excellent way to hang out with friends and family or even just unwind on your own. The secret to buying the right game for you? Go with your passion and leave your everyday existence behind.

Glossary

Crokinole is a "Canadian institution," remarks Craig Miller of Vintage Games. It's a game, played in North America and overseas, consisting of a ringed, pinned board and discs.

Pie is the term used in Trivial Pursuit that refers to the piece a player wins each time she answers a specified category question.

Token is the piece that each player chooses before playing the game, which represents him or her on the board. Also known as a "pawn."

Quirks

Warm up for Trivia Pursuit with the Canada Rocks the World Trivia Quiz www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/1708/canquiz.html. Don't forget to check out the rest of the site for graphics, links and wonderful things.