Ars Mysteriorum (Alan Ernstein)

Players are apprentice alchemists, competing to be named Master. To do this, you have to build up a 'recipe' book and demonstrate that you can complete them. Each recipe requires the right ingredients so, first, you need to buy and trade for them. It's a complex, dense and rewarding game.

For 3-5 players, aged 10+, 90-120 minutes playing time. I have one secondhand copy in good condition (the box is a bit battered): £10.00 (£8.33 outside the UK).
 

Dark Minions (Al Newman)

A game that gives players a chance to be the bad guys. Their job is to sack cities and to do a better job than any other Overlord. To win, they need to beef up their horde, both in terms of quality and quantity (some necromancy required), and become the most effective pillager.

For 3-5 players, aged 10+, playing time 60 minutes, published by Z-Man. I have acquired a few new copies as a special purchase: £15.00 (£12.50 outseide the EU)
 

Halloscreem!

Family fun with a frisson in this horror-themed whodunit board game. It's entertaining stuff with an option to make it even more fun: allocate the rooms of your house as the rooms of the castle, turn out the lights and play 'The Scary Music' CD...

For 2-6 players, aged 8+, 45 minutes playing time. I have a secondhand copy in good condition: there's a little wear on the corners of the box: £20.00 (£16.67 outside the UK).
 

Interstellar Mayhem (Alexander Ommer and Dirk Pullem)

A well produced tactical space battle game with sme great models. It's set in an asteroid field, so players have plenty of rocks (real stones!) to dodge as well as the other players. It plays quickly, too, with the aim being to destroy three ships: players start with a new one every time they're blown up. It comes with rules in English and German.

For 2-6 players, aged 12+, 30 minutes playing time. I have one copy still in shrink-wrap: £30.00 (£25.00 outside the UK).
 

Meltdown 2020 (Corné van Moorsel)

An intriguing game with the odd theme of nuclear disaster (but only 2 ages of rules!). Players are trying to rescue their people (meeples) distributed across the game's hexagonal spaces before these succumb to radiation poisoning from malfunctioning reactors. They have three vehicles of limited range and capacity, so careful planning is needed, but the reactors are unpredictable!

For 1-5 players, aged 8+, 40 minutes playing time. I have one secondhand copy in excellent condition (there's a little wear on the box corners): £15.00 (£12.50 outside the UK).
 

Switch: Secrets of the Temple (Dean Tan)

This is billed as an " adventure board game" . Or a dungeon bash, as I'd call it. Set in 16th century Japan, the players are heroes seeking to uncover the secrets of a mysterious castle keep. Apart from battling monsters and finding treasures, players can move rooms around and otherwise thwart their competitors.

For 2-6 players, aged 8+, 45 minutes playing time. I have a secondhand copy in very good condition: there's a little wear on the corners of the box, but it's unplayed and the pieces remain unpunched. It includes the 1.2 rules and some extra cards and characters: £20.00 (£16.67 outside the UK).
 

Target Earth (Jacobo Cagigal)

The aliens are coming! The players represent nations on planet Earth fighting back against an invasion from outer space. The game can be played on a co-operative basis, with the players working as a team. Or they can score points according to their own hidden agenda, allowing them to win on their own – assuming the aliens are defeated, of course.

For 1-4 players, aged 12+, 90-120 minutes playing time. I have one copy that's still in shrink-wrap: £25.00 (£20.83 outside the UK).