Guest Author - Megan Romer

Do you find that your child is having some trouble playing games fairly or without cheating? Or does your kid have a great sense of sportsmanship and you just want to reinforce that? Either way, Always Play Fair, a board game featuring Canada's National Sportsmanship Mascot, Pack Playfair, might just be a good choice.

The game is pretty straightforward; players must move around the board along a path shaped like the letters P-L-A-Y F-A-I-R, and as they pass each letter, they get a card that says the letter on it. The first player to collect all eight letters and say to the rest of the players, "Good Game! Good luck in your next game!" is the winner.

Instead of rolling dice to move around the board, players spin a spinner and draw cards from a stack. Each card either says something positive that allows the player to move forward, or something negative that forces them to move backward. The cards refer to all different types of sports and games. Some examples of cards are:

"Baseball/Softball: After accidentally hitting the opposing team's batter with a pitch, you ask, 'Are You Okay?' Go forward 2 spaces."

"Tennis: Your opponent hits the ball and it lands on the line. You know it is in, but you call it out. Go back 2 spaces."

This game is a really great way to introduce your young athlete or game player to the idea of sportsmanlike conduct. There are also 9 playing pieces, so many children can play at once.

ALWAYS PLAY FAIR AT-A-GLANCE:

GAME BOX INCLUDES: 1 Game Board, 9 Playing Pieces and Stands, 1 Spinner, 95 Game Cards, 54 Score Cards

YOU'LL NEED: Nothing

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $19.95

AWARDS WON: Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence, iParenting Media Award Winner, National Parenting Center Seal of Approval

TRY IF YOU LIKE: Sports and games in general

PERFECT FOR: A game to play with your child before they join their first sports team to give them a good grasp on sportsmanship.

RATING: Four sportsmanlike gestures out of five.