bring back the snakes!

Is it just me or did SNAKES 'N' LADDERS really lose much of its essence when someone came up with the idea of changing it to SLIDES 'N LADDERS?

When I was a kid, this toy was a very effective way of drilling into my head the merits of being kind and obedient. It also made it clear to me that breaking someone else's toys on purpose and being lazy were not good things at all.

Now, the new version blurs the lines between what's good and what's not--after all, what kid would find climbing a ladder more fun than zooming down a slide? At least before, you got to associate greed and laziness with the slithering animal. Now, if you make a wrong move and land on the picture of the kid showing off on his bike, you get to enjoy a ride down the slide (even if you get back several paces in the game). It'll be hard to notice the picture of the kid getting his just desserts (falling off his bike).

Good thing there are still old versions of the game (albeit 'SNAKE and ladders'); it comes cheap (P50) but the pictures are a bit blurred. And instead of the old sturdy board of yesteryears, this one comes in a thin cardboard material. Well, at least it can be one way of showing a kid what can happen to his toys (especially cheap ones) if he doesn't take care of them.