Four in a Row: The Story of Connect 4, Super-Sized

Connect 4 was popularized in the 1970s and looks deceptively simple: drop your discs, get four in a row. But it's deep enough that computer scientists formally "solved" it in 1988 — proving the first player can always win with perfect play.

Your guests won't be playing perfectly, which is exactly the fun. Going giant turns a tabletop puzzle into a face-to-face standoff where the whole party can watch the trap being set.

It's a reliable crowd-pleaser for mixed ages, which is why it's one of our premium picks at $30 and another game we stock two of for busy weekends.