A weekly family game night is an idea worth revisiting.

Remember the old TV commercials about designating one night a week with no have-to-go-to activities and no TV? Just the parent(s) and the kids spending quality time together. Many families need affordable entertainment options. And what’s more economical than walking down the hall to pick out a board game, cards or dominos that are already sitting in the closet?

Get a salty snack and fruit juice, and you’re good to go. This week, we’ll get into describing two great games for adults and older children. Next week, it will be the kids’ turn.

I know you skeptics out there think that game nights are just for families with small children. Here are some strategy games that might just change your mind: Risk, Sequence or Jenga.

Sequence

This reminds me of a game that our family bought decades ago in Akron, Ohio, called “99.” Teams try to claim five spots in a row on the board, while at the same time ruining the other team’s rows they are building.

Sequence uses a board that has two decks of cards laid out in rows. Players have five cards in their own hand, and use them one at a time to claim a spot on the board. You draw another card after you play; if you forget to draw, then you’re stuck with four cards and so on. This game requires forward planning, trying to figure out what your partner is trying to do and constant maneuvering.

Hand and Foot

For those of you who like to play cards, here’s one of my family’s favorites. It’s a North American version of Canasta, and it’s more fun.

Hand and Foot is a card game that involves strategy, timing, and of course luck plays a role. For every person who plays you need one deck of cards. A good number is four or six, so you can play teams of two. The object of the game is to acquire books of cards and play through your “hand” deck to get to your “foot” deck. Teams accumulate two natural sets and two un-natural sets. Naturals are sets of seven with no wild cards. The team that does this first leaves the other team holding its cards and therefore holding the most points against them. See www.rummy-games.com for complete rules.