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There are lots of things to consider if you're buying a game for someone else. At compendia we make one really big distinction. Do they have someone to play with?

This is particularly important when you're buying for children because they will get frustrated if you've bought them a game and they can't use it.

You can buy fine art jigsaw puzzles and escher jigsaw puzzles for people that like doing things by themselves, but we also do challenging three dimensional lateral thinking puzzles. Of all of these our favourite is rush hour. We also sell a lot of rush hour puzzles as a gift to people who are having a stay in hospital.

If you are buying a game then you'll probably be buying for children, families, grown ups or groups of grown ups.

Children of five to seven enjoy games that depend purely on luck. They have a chance of winning these games againsy a grown up. The classic is snakes and ladders but if you look at goose or coppit you will have more chance that they don't have it already.

From about six years up, but especially for children of about eight or nine, you can look at the great strategic games of the world. Ludo is a game of luck and capture that is great one to start off with. Chinese chequers is a good beginners strategy game beacause there are no dice to distract from planning the moves. Children who can concentrate at this age will also enjoy backgammon. If you are looking for games with an educational twist this a great age for dice games and dominoes which will teach children about numbers.

From nine years up many children love the great twentieth century games that involve lots of pieces and setting things out. They can set the board up and be in charge. At this age children can play the family board games with groups of friends, so you can look at the London game. For something different you can also look at Cat Attack, or Treasure Island. Both these games come from small suppliers in the UK so there's a good chance they won't have it already.

If you want to buy a family gift it's often best to go for the really traditional games that appeal to lots of different age groups. The best of these are shove ha'penny and bagatelle. With these more physical games everyone can have a go. The family card games like phase ten or whot are also still very popular.

We now tend to think of games as presents for children, but most of the world's great games are for grown ups. If you are buying for a grown up the most important thing to consider is who they will play with.

If they enjoy hosting parties then one of the party games might be the best thing for them. If they will play with a friend or partner then there are lots of two player games:

• Mancala is a good choice for people who will sit down and play occasionally, the wooden boards make lovely gifts.
• Go is one of the most popular games we sell for grown ups. It's the national game of Japan and has few rules but as you learn the strategy can become incredibly complex. This is a great present for someone who will concentrate and learn a new skill to a high level, or for someone who loves to play games.
• If you are looking for something a bit simpler you might want to look at a modern game, Carcassonne the Castle is good for two as are abstract games like Othello.

For groups of grown ups there are lots of games to provide focus for a party. For a complete evening you could try a murder mystery party game. Send out the invitations giving everybody a character to play and try to solve the crime. For something exciting roulette is a great adult game. Players can dip in and out of the game so you don't need everyone to play at once and you can provide a prize at the end of the evening. For something more sedate you could try a word game like snatch or everyone's current favourite, Mexican trains.