Ludo, Cluedo, Battleship, Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders... Board games have come a long way since Miss Scarlett killed Professor Plum in the study with the lead piping.

Even before the coronavirus lockdown the humble hobby was experiencing a comeback -but these-days it’s all a tad more exciting. Before the pubs closed did you notice how there was a pile of old Monopoly, Checkers and Guess Who boxes sitting in the corner of every pub or café you went into? There are also a lot more clubs and meet-ups dedicated to board game buffs than ever before and now even eateries are providing games for customers to enjoy (or they will be, once things are back to normal).

It’s not surprising really that board games are big news again. In our online obsessed world, more and more people want to switch off and get back to simpler pursuits when it comes to family fun or individual interaction.

Lord of the board, Russell Neave-Houghting is an expert in this area. Together with his partner Kelly he opened The Boardgame Hut in Southend. The business began as an online retailer in 2016 and then Russell and Kelly added a high street bricks and mortar presence in April of last year.

The venue in Hamlet Court Road, is a place for board gamers of all ages and abilities to buy and play games and to get together to share their passion. Russell explained how it all took off: “Having rediscovered board games around 2014 we dived deep into the hobby and started a YouTube channel with our kids, filming playthroughs of board games,” he said.

“Then my father sadly passed away at the end of 2015 and after the sale of his house we had a modest amount of money and decided to try to put it to good use and started The Board Game Hut with it - what better than a career involving your existing hobby?”

Russell admits he was a board game enthusiast as a child, but over time he lost interest in such trivial pursuits.

“As a child I was only aware of the mainstream titles,” he said. “We certainly played a lot of Monopoly, Game of Life and games like that but it was what we had at the time so we made the best of it- and we did enjoy them. I wouldn’t say I was hooked though, and I soon stopped playing as I got older.

“For us personally, once we discovered modern board games and that there was so much more available than Monopoly et al, Kelly and I enjoyed playing and saw a great opportunity to get the kids off of their devices and spend some quality family time together doing something fun.

“There are massively complicated games out there, but there's also a whole world of family games that are enjoyable for the kids and yet still interesting for adults as well!”

So is the lockdown inspiring a super boom in the board games industry?

"Massively," said Russell. "We've had to shut our shop for now of course but we are taking orders online - and our orders are like they normally are at Christmas levels, so yes it's a busy time.

"Families are ordering games for delivery to help keep them entertained and stimulated during this difficult time

“Some people are looking for family time but it's not just limited to kids playing - the vast majority of our customers and visitors are adults simply playing for themselves. There does seem to be a common theme though and that’s the fact that many, many people see them as a way to interact with other people while at the same time getting away from screens.”

Whatever your interest in board games- be it wanting to get to immerse yourself in a fantasy world or re-visit a real old classic, Russell will have the right advice to guide you every step of the way.

But what are some of the best games to buy at the moment?

“For people coming in who don't know modern board games I'll often suggest they start with Splendor or the slightly newer and prettier Century Spice Road, they have some similarities. These games are very easy for me to teach, taking less than five minutes to get them up and running and play in around half an hour. They involve taking actions (there are no dice) whereby they are gaining resources and cards to enable them to turn basic resources into better one worth victory points – Games like these are simple to pick up and learn, but offer lots of choices and interest while playing.

“Still sticking with the new player theme, there's also Ticket to Ride which has sold millions of copies worldwide. This lasts longer (around an hour) but is also very accessible. There is a large board filled with countries/cities all connected by various coloured trainlines."

Russell also recommends another modern classic called Dominion. “It's a deck-building game which has spawned a whole host of newer games which take that basic mechanic and add boards and other features,” he added.

“Then there’s Klask- a fun, dexterity game that's seeing a lot of play at the moment. This game, from Denmark, is very similar to the air hockey you'd play down the arcades at the seaside. It features magnetic sticks that you're moving under the board to try to get the ball into your opponent's goal. It's built from solid wood and is even great fun to watch being played.”

At the other end of the spectrum is Gloomhaven, which Russell describes as an epic. Think in terms of box full of adventures exploring dungeons and fighting all sorts of weird and wonderful monsters and uncovering a branching story as you go.

Modern boardgames are having a moment clearly but there’s no denying the old favourites like monopoly, Cluedo and Risk will always have their place, right?

“I think they will continue to be big sellers because they are games that everybody knows,” said Russell, “even if it's just a Christmas tradition for a family to play Monopoly, it's a tradition that endures”.

“ I do think that if people discover that there are better, more interesting games out there they would be pleasantly surprised but as long as they're having fun and enjoying what they're used to, then that's good too.”