As a child in the 80’s, before we had computer games at home, we had to find our entertainment in other ways. One way our parents had was board games, most of which consisted of roll and move and then follow instructions. The basics included Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, even Mouse Trap, which was fun but had limited actions. We had the usual Monopoly and The Game of Life. Cluedo was interesting but one game does stick out as a place to start in my board game journey, and that is Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs. This is a fun game which involves each player having a group of 4 ‘explorers’ who have to cross the valley, risking different hazards to reach the temple, get some gold, and return. It sounds so simple but along the way are rivers to cross; Six hungry dinosaurs, who are after you; a vicious swamp monster, which will gladly eat a helpless explorer; a volcano, which if the game lasts long enough, will block the valley floor; and just as you think that's all, a pterodactyl could swoop down from the skies to steal an explorer. These hazards are controlled by the players when you draw a card on your turn. So you need a balance between disrupting your opponents and not making things too difficult for yourself. To an adult it seems a simple yet entertaining game but to a ten year old, it was the first step into a new world of board games.
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