Now that the Christmas season is upon us I have been digging out all the old board games in preparation for 2 weeks off school and work together. I don't mind my kids playing on consoles for some of their spare time but I also like them to play games where they have to interact with the people around them and think a little bit more other than shoot, duck, run.

One of my favourites from my childhood is Connect 4 from Hasbro, there are cheaper versions available that probably play just as well but when I brought Connect 4 for the kids a few years ago I paid about £10 for the Hasbro version from Argos as it is the one I remember playing with my sisters.

In the box you get the plastic blue game grid and two plastic legs, the legs attach easily to the sides of the game grid so that it is lifted off the table a couple of inches. Each player has a pile of Red or Yellow counters each and then you each take it in turns to drop a counter into the game grid, the idea is to make four in a row diagonally, horizontally or vertically while at the same time preventing your opponent from making 4 in a row.

It sounds simple enough but hours of fun can be had playing the game and two skilled players can play till virtually all of there counters are gone before one slip up and the other player wins.

The game is marketed as being suitable for 6 years onwards but I feel with supervision children slightly younger can enjoy the game just as much. I think the game teaches patience and strategy which are two great skills to have, especially when Mum has a giant selection of games hidden under the bed to make everyone play with her over Christmas.

Hasbro now make a few different versions of Connect 4, I only have the classic version but would like a giant garden version as it looks a lot of fun.

Another recommended family game, Thank you for reading