To compare escape room games by difficulty and player count, and find one that suits your group, see the escape room range at outdoor garden games.

Snakes and Ladders is one of the first board games most children learn, and for good reason. The rules could not be simpler: roll the dice, move your counter, climb a ladder if you land at the foot of one and slide back down if you meet a snake. There is no reading and no strategy to master, so even three and four-year-olds can join in and stand a fair chance of winning.

To compare word games by pace and age suitability, and see which reward speed versus vocabulary, take a look at the word games at brain games for adults.

To see jigsaws grouped by piece count and theme, from first puzzles for toddlers to harder pieces for adults, take a look at the jigsaw collection at jigsaw puzzles.

The pace of a word game shapes who enjoys it. Fast tile and card games reward quick thinking and keep younger players in the mix, because rounds are short and nobody sits waiting. WordSnap XL, an exclusive title from The Happy Puzzle Company, is built around building and spotting words at speed, so it works for a mixed group where you want everyone reaching for letters at once.

For a shortlist of compact games that pack down small and set up fast, browse the travel-friendly games chosen by puzzles and games.