LEGO + board games = geeky family fun

Question: What do you get when you combine LEGO with a board game? Answer: Something impossibly awesome. Come on — you put those two things together, and I’m already in.

The world of LEGO just keeps getting bigger, and now, LEGO Games have arrived in the United States. Our friends in Europe have been enjoying these unique sets for a while now, but at last they’ve landed in America.

These clever game sets combine everything that’s great about board games with the wonders of LEGO Bricks. The result is a sort of hybrid game with rules and objectives just like a regular board game, only the board and all of the parts are made of LEGO pieces. There are even multiple sets of rules that let you play your game in different ways. (What a cool job it would be to design these games.)

Right now there are five LEGO Games available, though more are expected to follow. (Great Britain currently has 14.) Rumor has it there’s even a “Harry Potter Hogwarts” game on the way.

Each game set comes with specially-designed LEGO Dice that you build yourself. The gameplay varies from set to set, but is available for upwards of 4 to 8 players, and can last anywhere from 15 minutes to a full hour.

My favorite is Creationary, a game in which you’re challenged to build something in one of four categories — vehicles, buildings, nature, or things — and all of the other players have to guess what you’re building. Creationary also happens to be the most expensive one of the lot, at $34.99, though most of the games are priced under $20.