About 365games.co.uk

A British online retailer covering board games, jigsaws, toys, films and collectables. It sits between the specialist hobby shop and the supermarket aisle: wider than the supermarket, cheaper and less curated than a dedicated games store.

The catalogue moves with the calendar, so the strongest ranges appear in the run-up to Christmas and thin out again in spring.

What they stock

Family and party board games, card games, puzzles, children's construction and role-play toys, plush, outdoor play, plus DVDs, Blu-rays and licensed collectables.

Licensed ranges are a large part of it, which matters when you are buying for a child who is currently obsessed with one particular thing.

Choosing a board game that gets played

The age on the box is about reading and rules comprehension, not about who will enjoy it. A game rated for eight is usually playable by a bright six-year-old with an adult reading the cards, and dull for a teenager.

Playing time is the number people ignore and then regret. A ninety-minute game bought for a family who last played cards at Christmas will be abandoned halfway through the first attempt.

Check player count carefully. Many games list two to six players but are genuinely good at four, and the two-player version is a different, thinner experience.

Buying toys safely

Look for the CE or UKCA mark and the age warning, and take the small-parts warning literally where there is a toddler in the house, including an older sibling's game left on the floor.

Batteries are the classic Christmas-morning failure. Check whether they are included, and check the type, because a toy that wants four AA cells is not solved by the two in the drawer.

Using a 365games.co.uk discount code

Build the whole order before applying anything, since one code across a basket beats several separate deliveries. Enter it at checkout and check whether pre-orders and already-reduced lines are excluded, because seasonal ranges often are.