Monopoly Deal Shuffle ShakerEverybody loves a quiet night in with a new board game -- but those big boxes can come with equally big price tags.
How can you freshen up your collection without emptying out your wallet? Check out these great games, all selling at great prices.
Monopoly Deal Shuffle Shaker
According to maker Hasbro, Monopoly is the most popular board game in the world. But what do you do if you don't have the three or four hours a full game can take? Try this card-game version of the capitalistic classic instead. At just about $7 on Amazon, you won't need to own Boardwalk to afford it. Buy it at Amazon
Qwirkle
Qw-who? This award-winning combination of dominoes and Scrabble just launched in Europe, to massive acclaim. It's been a top-seller in the U.S. for some years -- and at under $20 from Amazon, it's one of the best board game bargains around. Buy it at Amazon
Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of Ashardalon
If you harbor secret desires to play role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons but the extensive rule set puts you off, this game's the perfect starter. Wrath of Ashardalon (and its predecessor, Castle Ravenloft) trims the rules, leaving behind a straightforward board game that's still got all the monsters, heroes, and traps, but doesn't have all that geeky role-playing math. And because all the players team up against the monsters rather than competing with each other, it's a great family pick. Buy it at Amazon
LEGO Minotaurus
Your first task, upon opening the Minotaurus box, is to assemble the game's board from standard Lego pieces. Once that's done, you'll be looking at a slick, simple, Sorry-like maze game for up to four players. It's designed to encourage you to rearrange the board, develop your own rules, and get creative with the game's pieces -- and at under $20, you're not going to have to get creative affording it. Buy it at Amazon
Scene It!
The Scene It range of trivia games, which turn your DVD player into the question-master, seem to have fallen a little out of favor of late. Paradoxically, that could be good news for fans: this Seinfeld edition is under $10, and if you search around a bit you won't have trouble finding plenty of equally good deals on other Scene It! titles.
Dominion
Looking for something a little more substantial? Kingdom-building card game Dominion is a favorite of board game aficionados . Selling at Amazon (among other stores) for around $30 -- that's a saving of about 30% -- it's strategically satisfying, but still quick-playing enough to be convenient. Amazon is also the only place to get the Dominion "Big Box" set, which bundles the game with several of its most popular expansions for a similarly discounted price. Buy it at Amazon
Print your own!
Got a printer? Got paper and ink? If so, then you're most of the way to a bulging games cabinet. Numerous Web sites offer downloadable games for you to print and play for free. This list is likely the most comprehensive, but the games tend to skew towards those with more "serious" tastes. For a more family-friendly selection, try Teacher Tools.
-- Play Bricks Breaking on Yahoo! Games --