Connect Four is a game that most people will be familiar with. Quite often the simplest things are the most entertaining, and all this game purports to be is a chance to place coloured discs in an effort to get four in a straight row before your opponent does. You can have hours of fun with it, and despite it being so simple, the game will keep your mind active and develop that competitive streak in you.

The contents of a box of Connect Four are simple. There is a plastic cage with circular gaps in. The cage slots into a base which has a cover over the bottom that you move so it is out of the way. Also in the box are a number of discs, equal numbers of red and yellow, which you then take it in turns to put into the top of the cage where they slot down to the bottom. A very tactical game, Connect Four allows you to try and outfox your opponent by placing your discs strategically so that you end up with four in a row before your opponent does. It's easier said than done as you can easily get blocked off by one of their discs, and quite often you'll find that the game is only won with a large number of discs having been played, a veritable sea of red and yellow already in the cage and a number of rows of three that are nearly there but were thwarted at the last moment.

You can make either a vertical or horizontal or diagonal line, and I love just how tactical it gets. It's also suitable for young and old. We have this at home and every now and then on a rainy day (which seems to be more often than not at the moment) we'll get this out and have a few games of it. Similarly, friends of mine got married recently and they had a giant version of it, which a few of us played for quite a while. Equal amount of enjoyment at each occasion, showing that something so simple can be so easily enjoyed for a sustained period of time.

You can also have variations of the game, although the single cover at the bottom of the cage is not particularly conducive to the first one, which allows you to EITHER put one of your discs in OR take one from the bottom. I like the concept of this variation, although you'd need to get a different cage bottom to play it and the traditional Connect Four game wouldn't necessarily come with one already.

The longevity of the game speaks for itself. First manufactured and sold in the 1970s, it still remains as one of the most popular and recognised games around, and I for one will never grow out of playing it. If you want to get a set to play, or if you think it would make a good gift for someone, then it's widely available, and prices come in at around the £10 mark depending on which brand you buy and where you get it from. Either way, it's a simple concept that is highly popular and a great game that I highly recommend. Great for young old.