Dominoes are rectangular shapes used in a variety of games, divided into two squares by a line carved or painted across the centre. On the face of these squares are carved or painted dots representing the numbers from one to six. In a standard 'double-six' set, there will also be blank faces.

Dominoes are believed to be a creation of the Chinese, where they took the number game concept from dice and flattened them out into these tiles that are now known all over the world in different incarnations.

Just like cards or dice, you can play various games with dominoes. At its most basic form, you divy up seven dominoes to each player, and you try to match numbers from your 'hand' onto a starter tile in the middle of the table, or floor, or wherever your playing surface of choice is. All the remaining tiles are elsewhere on the table surface in a group called the boneyard. As you play a tile from your hand, you must pick up a tile from the boneyard. This of course means the tiles are called bones in some circles. You play until all the tiles possible have been played. Any tiles left in an opponents hand are added up and those points are given to the player with none or the least amount of tiles remaining in his hand.

For those bored with the double-six set, there are now double-nine and double-twelve, and also a set that incorporates a 'wild card' tile that really mixes things up. The variations of games from this can be just as unique as dice games or card games; enough to satisfy all people from the gambler to the Sunday afternoon family gamers.