If I had to compile a list of my top three board games ever I would say that this one, Risk would probably come in at number two with Monopoly just edging it. I was first introduced to risk by my dad at around the age of ten. We had many a happy afternoon sat round the table battling for world domination. Although my dad always used to win I always enjoyed playing and when I got a little older I even started to win a few. So if you are unfamiliar with the game, let me tell you a little bit about it.

Risk is a board game where the idea of the game is basically to achieve world domination. The board has a map on it and the major countries are there with clear boundaries. There is also a deck of cards with a country each on them. When the game starts the cards are dealt out and you have your starting countries. You are also given a certain amount of armies, you must divide these up between your countries. Then the game can begin.

Each player takes it in turn to attack other countries. To do this you simply roll the dice to determine which armies are going to win. There are more complicated rules of course but this is the basic concept. Much of the game is based on luck but there is also a serious amount of skill involved. The idea is to try and conquer entire continents and then you are given bonus armies to add to your existing armies at the start of the next turn.

There are variations of the game like you can play the mission cards where you have specific missions to try and achieve rather than trying to take over the entire world. This is usually a shorter version of the game. Playing the entire world domination version of the game usually takes around two hours although sometimes it can be even longer than this.

I think the reason I enjoy this game so much is that no game is ever the same twice. There are certainly more obvious methods of winning but sometimes these just don't work and sometimes you have to think outside the box. If the dice are not on your side then you really have no chance. The game is great fun to play and really gets you thinking. Overall I would say this is a superb game that both children and adults can enjoy, certainly one that I have always enjoyed.