For generations, board games were the main source of gaming entertainment. Families had cupboards where they stacked multiple types of board games that provided recreation and relaxation for family members from great-grandparents down to young children. Among friends, it was not unusual to get together to enjoy some gaming fun around a coffee table, in a park, or over a few beers at a pub.
Today, board games have moved online. In many ways, migration has proven to be beneficial. Gamers can play as a single player “against the computer”, compete against a real-life friend who is playing in another location, or vie with a total stranger in a match arranged by the gaming platform.
Not all classic games have been adapted to online gaming use but if you want to give your Play Croco casino login a rest and play some traditional games to challenge your intellect and stimulate your reflexes, check out the best of the classic board games which are now available online.
Scrabble
Pogo.com offers the officially sanctioned online version of the board game but there are unofficial sites where you can enjoy the same kind of Scrabble fun and challenges – often for free. Many of these online variations of Scrabble are available on mobile apps.
If you want to play Electronic Art’s Scrabble you have your choice of classic Scrabble or Scrabble Blast. Classic Scrabble is played with two to four players while Scrabble Blast is a solo game. You need to register with Polo.com to play this official version or join via your Facebook profile. If you join ClubPogo (for payment) there won’t be any ads appearing during your game.
If you want to play solo, you can challenge up to three random opponents which you match according to skill level. There are various rule options including traditional rules, house rules or your own rules. You have your choice to play at a basic level, an intermediate level or, if you really want a challenge, you can choose to play a difficult or even a very difficult game.
In addition, there are also two versions of Scrabble available on Facebook which are free but if you pay you can bypass the ads. Merriam-Webster also offers a Scrabble Spirit game which you can play with no need for any registration. This is not a traditional Scrabble game but rather, you need to fill up all the spaces on the board by typing words with 2 or more letters as you race against the clock.
Catan
Catan was introduced in 1995 so it’s not an old-time classic game but over the last 25 years, it’s become so incredibly popular that it deserves a mention as a great board game to be played online. The premise of the game is that settlers build and develop the properties that they want to settle while they trade and acquire resources. As the settlement grows the players accumulate points and the first one to reach 10 points (sometimes another point total is used), wins.
Anywhere from one to four players can play Catan, either “hard-copy” or online. The online version, as well as the follow-up Rivals for Catan online card game, have been praised for staying faithful to the original board game.
The online Catan is accessible by browser, as an app download on Android or Google, or via the Steam online gaming platform. Online play is free for the basic game but there’s “Catan Gold” that you can buy as an in-game purchase to unlock different features such as expansions, theme sets, and pieces of gold. Playing it in multiplayer mode works best via zoom.
Monopoly
There are so many ways to play Monopoly online that you can spend a good part of your gaming adventure moving from one version to the next, trying to figure out which is the best option.
The official online Monopoly game was released by Marmalade Game Studio and is available for mobile gaming. All of the basic elements of the traditional board game are here – tokens, cards, get-out-of-jail-free cards, and, of course, the iconic Monopoly board, waiting to be downloaded on Google Play.
The game is completely mobile-enabled including a video chat for a quality multiplayer, cross-platform, immersive online board game experience.
The Marmalade game features a Quick mode for gamers who want to move faster and a single-player mode for those who want to compete against the computer. All of these features are present in the downloadable official Monopoly app.
If you want to get fancy, you can go high-tech and play Monopoly for Nintendo Switch or Monopoly Plus for PC, PS4, Xbox One or Google Stadia. One final option includes Rento, an online multiplayer monopoly board game that can be played with friends on Bluetooth with up to 6 players online, or offline versus the computer. Renato is a Monopoly-like game – not the original but…..it’s free.
Clue
Up to six players can play this classic mystery game that challenges games to bluff, deduce clues and solve mysteries. The original board game is iconic for its imagery – if you were to say “Mr. Mustard in the parlor with the candlestick”, everyone would know what you were referring to.
Now Mr. Mustard has moved online along with Professor Plum, Mrs. Peacock, Reverend. Green, Miss Scarlett and their knife, wrench, revolver, rope, led pipe, and candlestick.
The online version of Clue – sometimes referred to as Cludo” is similar to the classic game but the 3D graphics have updated the search for the culprit, the weapon used, and the room in which the crime took place. Now there are themes to wade through as well as a virtual clue sheet that gives players the chance to take notes while trying to discover the solution.
The online version can be played as a multiplayer game with real-life friends, against competitors who are matched randomly or against the computer. A Steam version links to a cross-platform multiplayer system with the apps.