Experts name their favorite games

Looking to start a game night? Try one of these suggestions.

"It's a modern-day, really cool, artsy Jenga. It's easy for people to jump in and out," said Kathleen Donahue, game shop owner.

Best for: New gamers.

Pandemic

"It's a cooperative story-based game where you act as CDC workers," Donahue said.

Best for: Everyone. It's one of the most popular games in the country.

"One person knows a secret word, and they're trying to get everyone to guess the word. The werewolf is trying to get people not to guess it," said game reviewer BJ Rozas.

Teams work together to track down an enemy submarine before it finds them. "It's a good bonding game," said game historian Kyle Engen.

Best for: People who are getting to know one another.

A cooperative game in which participants are firefighters out in the wilderness. "Everybody has a unique role and works together to beat back fires," Rozas said.

Best for: Mixed-age groups, noncompetitive crowds.

This is a prequel to the classic mystery game Clue. "We're all invited back to the house, but we can't have anyone else see us," Engen said. "What if we're the ones who do the murder?"

Working off a map of Manhattan from 1901, participants build out the boroughs of New York City. "It's just competitive enough that people aren't getting their feelings hurt," Rozas said.