Keep a pack of cards handy at Christmas - they will give you the perfect family game, according to studies by a major toy business.

Playing cards offer the best combination of factors including the age range and number of people who can play, duration of the game and complexity, says independent toy retailer The Entertainer.

Using a mathematical formula devised to reflect the various factors they consider important, The Entertainer listed the best family games - with the humble pack of cards coming in first.

Barry Eldridge, communications and creative manager, said: "The simple playing cards pack has beaten the other family games hands down.

"Card games are universally recognised and have been around for generations which mean they are popular with all age groups.

"They are the perfect game to take away on holiday or play at home as they are simple to use and the whole family can join in."

Top 10

1 Pack of cards - 98 per cent.

2 Monopoly Simpsons - 83.4 per cent. The Simpsons licence lends an air of comedy to the original.

3 Bop-It Extreme II - 83.2 per cent. This game is 100 per cent addictive and great for situations where a traditional board is not suitable.

4 Monopoly original - 81.8 per cent. Almost as much fun as the game is trying to catch people cheating.

5 Super Plexus Game - 81.4 per cent. Give this game to anybody and they will be quiet for hours - apart from the occasional scream and curse as the ball falls off the track and they have to start back at the beginning.

6 300 Games Compendium - 80.4 per cent. Something for everybody, and lots of people could play the different games at the same time.

7 Simpsons Cluedo - 78 per cent. Just like the Simpsons Monopoly, this version adds comedy.

8 Twister Moves - 77 per cent. Kids everywhere will love making fools of their grown-up relatives as they vainly try to keep up with the ever increasing difficulty of the music.

9 Boggle - 76.8 per cent. A great game for crossword fans, the fact you can play short games quickly means you can come and go from it and do not have to play it uninterrupted.

10 Jenga - 74.8 per cent. A real edge-of-your-seat game - the higher the tower goes, the greater the tension.

Friday November 28, 2003