Written by an experienced gamesman, who is a frequent contributor to Games Magazine, it features dozens of games that can be played on simple boards or on sheets photocopied from the book. A must-have for all game enthusiasts and history buffs, it includes trivia about the unusual and often eccentric people behind history's most popular games--from the legendary board games of the pharoahs and ancient Egypt, to the social parlor games of the Victorians, to more contemporary perennials such as Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit. Also discusses the phenomenon of war and survival games as well as video games and the high-tech future of games, including CD-I--a compact-disc interactive system that will offer films with which players can interact. Features a Buyer's Guide to the best games.