All games
Snakes & Ladders
The classic 1 to 100 race for 2 to 4 players. Climb the ladders, dodge the snakes.
How to play Snakes and Ladders
- Everyone starts just off the board, before square 1. Take turns rolling the dice.
- Move your token forward by the number rolled. The squares are numbered in a zig-zag: left to right on the bottom row, then right to left on the next, all the way to 100.
- Land at the bottom of a ladder and you climb straight to its top. Land on a snake's head and you slide down to its tail.
- Rolling a 6 gives you another turn (you can switch this off).
- The first player to reach square 100 wins. With "exact roll" on, you need exactly the right number — if you roll too high you stay where you are.
Good to know
- It is a game of pure luck, which makes it perfect for children and mixed ages: anyone can win.
- Counting the squares out loud is great number practice for young players.
- The longest ladder on this board takes you from 28 all the way to 84. The most dangerous snake waits at 87 and drops you to 24.
Where the game comes from
Snakes and Ladders began in ancient India as Moksha Patam, a game about good and bad deeds: ladders stood for virtues that lift you up, snakes for vices that pull you down. It travelled to England in the 1890s and became one of the best-known board games in the world.