Snakes and ladders
board game
Snakes and ladders is a board game for two or more players regarded today as a worldwide classic. The game originated in ancient India as Moksha Patam ('liberation lesson'), and was brought to the United Kingdom in the 1890s. It is played on a game board with numbered, gridded squares. A number of "ladders" and "snakes" are pictured on the board, each connecting two specific board squares. The object of the game is to navigate one's game piece, according to die rolls, from the start (bottom square) to the finish (top square), helped by climbing ladders but hindered by sliding down snakes.
The game is a simple race based on sheer luck, and it is popular with young children. The historic version had its roots in morality lessons, on which a player's progression up the board represented a life journey complicated by virtues (ladders) and vices (snakes). The game is also sold under other names, such as the morality themed Chutes and Ladders published by the Milton Bradley Company starting in 1943.
Equipment
The size of the grid varies, but is most commonly 8×8, 10×10, or 12×12 squares. Boards have snakes and ladders starting and ending on different squares; both factors affect the duration of play.
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