Snakes and Ladders, is an ancient game from India. The game is one arm of a series of dice based games that came from India. The game of Snakes and Ladders is based on the concept of a person's journey to enlightenment and the vices and virtues that you have the opportunity to benefit or suffer from. The snakes or chutes represent the vices and set you back on the journey and the ladders are virtues that if you obtain them will assist you in gaining the enlightenment which is achieved by finishing the game – this is why you must throw the correct number on the dice to finish the game, rather than just getting across the finish line at the end of the board. This is because enlightenment has to be worked at and is not just given! The game has travelled around the world and become one of the most well known and much loved family pastimes although much of its heritage has been lost but, if you ask any child to name a board game even the youngest will have heard of Snakes and Ladders. Garden Games takes this very traditional family game to a totally new dimension. The giant version puts you right at the heart of the game, where you, yourself act as the counter and move up and down the snakes and ladders of the game. We have also added some new features for extra fun. You may find yourself having to stand on one leg, or taking the opportunity to switch places with any other player on the board. Or, just when you thought you were never going to win, your throw may count double and put you right back in the game. We felt that this traditional family board game could work on a much larger scale in the garden for parties and well just for the fun of it. In 1998 the idea went into planning with the Cardy family working out the board layout so that the game played well for all the family. We found that using counters was less fun than having the players be the counters themselves! The mat that we supply today with our Giant Snakes and Ladders game was designed over many months of playing and replaying the game to ensure that the ladders and the snakes were placed in just the right locations to ensure that the board play was fun yet challenging. So to say the game is tried and tested for fun would be and understatement!!!! After many months of testing and reworking the Garden Games Giant Snakes and Ladders game went on sale in the summer of 1999. Garden Games Snakes and Ladders set comes with a Three metre square PVC playing mat with reinforced eyelets and edging. Perfect to get everyone up and playing! The set also includes lawn pegs to secure the mat to the lawn or grass area and a huge inflatable traditionally numbered black and white plastic dice. HOW TO PLAY • Unfold the giant plastic mat and lay it out flat. Use the pegs provided to secure the mat to the lawn. Blow up the dice and you are all set to play • Decide the order that players will play in – this can be done by throwing the dice and the highest/ or lowest number can go first etc. This bit is up to the players!! • Each player on their turn throws the dice and the number of dots is the number of squares that that player should move across the board. Each player starts from the start square. • If the number of spaces you move ends with the player landing on a square that contains the foot of a ladder then that player can climb the ladder to the square at the top. If the turns end with the player standing on a square with the head of a snake then the player must travel down the snake to the square at the end of the snake's tail. • If the player lands on a “STING SQUARE” you can swap places with another player – the choice of the player to swap with is entirely the player on the STING SQUARES. • If the players turn ends with the on a “DOUBLE DICE SQUARE” on the players next throw of the dice you must double the number that you throw. If you reach the Winners Square on a double throw then you must bounce back and the number over is the number of squares you move away from the winning square. • If the players throw ends with them landing on a “STAND ON ONE LEG SQUARE” then you must do exactly that until your next throw of the dice. If any part of this players body touches the ground before their next turn then their next throw of the dice will see them going backwards to the start rather than forwards towards the end. • More than one person can stand on a square at the same time; you just have to get cosy! • The winner is the first player to throw the exact number on the dice to gain the winners square. Any number thrown on a turn that takes you over the square results in that player bouncing back wards the number of squares they were over and not claiming the win! All that remains now is for you to get playing - good luck!!!   
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