Definitions of Games by Supa Swap.

Not everybody knows what different types of games are, so here this week at Suap Swap I will give you a brief guide and history of them.

1. Arcade style. Arcade style games are simulated games played in a room commonly known as an "arcade" where you pay and play a short game like Space Invaders and PacMan.

These were most common in the 80s but you can not beat going into a dark arcade, putting a coin in a slot and play one of these basic but classic games, better atmosphere than playing alone at home.

2. Card, Logic and Board Games. Card Games are common games like Solitaire and Poker and nowadays these are simulated on computers, where the computer is the opponent.

Logic games are like Master Mind, these are designed for brain training and stimulating, and now come in a wide range like handheld PSP with Brain Training.

Board Games are by no means boring!, the classics like Monopoly and Cluedo are great to get the whole family together on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy a good Board game. Computer versions are not the same for me.

3. Graphical adventures. These are very basic 80s style computer games with very basic graphics, they are called point and click adventures, as all you do is point the mouse and click to open another box or screen, very popular in the late 80s.

4. Simulation. Simulation games were a completely different way of playing a game, most popular in arcades, these fun games were shaped like a car or a bike and your controls felt real, even down to the seatbelt and gear stick, allowing you to feel like your inside the game. Nowadays you have things like Wii, where these simulate the body movements.

5. Role Playing. These are games usually played in a group, where one or more act out a part in a pretend manner, the others have to guess what you are trying to get across, these games were most popular before computers found their way into our homes.

Supa Swap has discovered that there appears to be a new popular trend for Jigsaw puzzles. The first ever jigsaw puzzle was invented by John Spilsbury in 1767 and came in a sheet format. He firstly placed his map on a flat piece of hardwood, then used a fine saw to cut around the European countries to make different shapes. They were hand painted and made of hardwood, with each piece a separate country.

Soon after other people started to copy this idea and make picture jigsaw puzzles. Their purpose was to entertain not as a teaching tool and at first the pieces were not interlocking. About a century later when power tools were invented, they could then be cut into interlocking pieces to hold together.

In 1880, Milton Bradley made the first ever child's "Locomotive" jigsaw called the Smashed up Locomotive - smashed up meaning when the child opened the box it was in pieces! The object of the puzzle was to rebuild the train.

The Jigsaw Today

These days jigsaw puzzles are still as popular as they were over a hundred years ago with different shapes and styles making the puzzle more and more challenging. The greatest one I have ever seen and completed was the 1000 piece jigsaw made up of a picture of Baked Beans! Now that's a hard one!

What is a board game? A board game is basically a pre-marked board where you place, move or remove pieces according to the rules. Games may be based on luck, strategy or both and they normally have a goal which the player has to achieve to win. Earlier board games were invented where two armies battled together, more modern board games are designed for the family and friends to play together thus giving winning the game a feeling of achievement.

There are thousands of different types of board games to choose from, from the most classic Monopoly to the most challenging brain game Trivial Pursuit where the object of the game is general knowledge questions. There are advanced games like Cluedo where the object of the game is pre planned to invite different friends, dressed as characters to your home and make a whole evening playing a murder mystery night, these can be great fun. Most games are roleplaying games and the board is only used to visualise the scenario. Much simpler games such as Dungeons and Dragons and Chess are great for training the brain with simple rules but can lead to complex scenarios.

Board games go back thousands of years, in Egypt board games were found dating back to 400 BC. The most popular of the last century are 1930 - Monopoly, 1957- -Risk and in 1980 more German styled board games became more common like Trivia Pursuit.

With the internet becoming such a big part of our lives now, board games have taken more of a back seat in our lives. More and more people are playing games live across the internet with players in other countries.

Go to www.supaswap.com and pick up some classic board games and start playing with the whole family and you will see that the best things really do not need to cost a fortune to enjoy quality family time.