Cards are the best deal

Keep a pack of cards handy at Christmas - they will give you the perfect family game, according to toy retailer The Entertainer. 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.

Using a mathematical formula to reflect the various factors, The Entertainer listed the best family games - with cards coming in first.

Spokesman Barry Eldridge said: "Cards are simple to use and the whole family can join in."

The second most popular game was Simpsons' Monopoly. In third place was Bop-It Extreme II and fourth was Monopoly Original. Also in the top 10 were Super Plexus, 300 Games Compendium, Simpsons Cluedo, Twister Moves, Boggle and Jenga.