Kings Cribbage, The King of All Cribbage Games Board Game

Welcome to Kings Cribbage, an unusually effective blending of the age- old pasteboards-and-pegboard card game, with the crossword grid strategy of Scrabble. Players take turns building crib hands of two to five hardwood tiles, each bearing playing card rank--deuce through ace. As in Scrabble, players are allowed to add tiles from their rack to the ends of, or perpendicular to, existing plays on the rotating board. The scoring is virtually identical to cribbage--runs, pairs, 15s--with bonus points awarded to any player who can fashion a crib hand with tiles all the same color. With its deluxe, two-toned hardwood equipment (though the board is fashioned from less-than-regal plastic) and illustrated English/French rules, Kings Cribbage is a crowning achievement in challenging play. --Tony Mason