For cross-generational appeal, nothing beat Rummikub as the preferred family game. Fun for kids and adults, this tile game combined elements of rummy, dominoes, mah-jongg and chess. Invented in the 1940s by Ephraim Hertzano of Israel, the first game sets were hand-made and sold door to door by the inventor and his family. After years of marketing Rummikub to a few local shops and seeing its popularity increase, the Hertzano family started licensing the game to Europe and America. It debuted in the U.S. in 1964 and by 1977 it had become the best selling game.

Rummikub consists of 106 numbered tiles and requires two to four players. There are four sets of numbers from 1 to 13, each set having a different color—black, red, blue and orange, though they may vary—and each color/number combination is represented twice. Acting as wild cards are two joker tiles. Each player chooses 14 tiles out of the facedown tile pool and keeps them on a rack away from the prying eyes of other players. The goal is to use up all your tiles by placing them on the board in runs, three sequential numbers of the same color, or groups, three same numbers of different color. All players can utilize runs and groups already on the board, by adding to them or splitting them up, depending on the situation. The starting play on the board—called the initial meld —must be worth at least 30 points and if a player can’t achieve that he must take one tile from the tile pool and forfeit his turn to another player. The game ends when a player has used up all his tiles and says the word “Rummikub”—preferably as loudly and obnoxiously as possible.

The game is still popular today and still licensed by the Hertzano family; it is sold in 48 countries and is available in 24 languages. There are Rummikub clubs and a World Championship has been held annually since 1991.