I'm regularly asked by reporters why board games and card games remain popular despite the availability of more modern entertainment options, especially video games. My answer is that video games (many of which I also enjoy) will never replace board games because the two experiences are so different. I then go on to explain that there has never been a better time to be a fan of board games and card games, because so many designers and publishers are producing excellent and creative games. (Check out my lists of the best board games and best card games of 2009 to see some evidence of that.)

So that's my answer. But what do you say? Why do you still play board games and card games? Share your thoughts, and tell us about a few of your favorite games.

This was an interesting year for card games. Not many completely original designs appear on my list of the top 10 card games of 2009, but a number of modern classics were republished and given new life in 2009. Two of the new games on the list are based on board games, and for the second straight year, a Dominion game is my top pick. Of course, the real bottom line is that every one of these games is fun to play.

^{Image courtesy of Rio Grande Games}

While my list of the best board games of 2008 was top-heavy with cooperative games, this year's list includes just one of that genre. But the games included here are just as fun as those from last year, as players hunt for treasure, create civilizations, run an automobile manufacturer, race ostriches, catch Jack the Ripper, and much more. Here are my picks for the Top 10 Board Games of 2009.

^{Image courtesy of Rio Grande Games}

Imagine if Sid Sackson's classic game, Can't Stop, actually had a theme... and the theme was polar bear cubs covered in paint (from helping the Inuits paint their igloos) trying to get across the ice floes to the bathtub so they can be the first to get cleaned up. OK, you can stop imagining -- that's Daddy Cool in a nutshell. And in his review of Daddy Cool, Mark Jackson says the game reaches "the edge of kid-gaming perfection."

More Children's Game Reviews:

• Chateau Roquefort
• Midnight Party
• Children's Game Reviews - Index

^{Image courtesy of Huch & Friends}