Question and answer games are well known, In such games questions are typically randomly selected in an order which is determined by the order of cards in a stack or by the relative position of a marker on a playing surface.

An object of the present invention is to provide an alternative means for the selection of questions in a question and answer game.

According to the present invention therefore there is provided apparatus for playing a game, the apparatus comprising a plurality of sets of question bearing elements, the sets being distinguished from one another, characterised by the provision of a selector configured to correspond with the respective sets of elements and questions and being operative to select one said set of elements and/or a question thereof to be answered by a player.

This arrangement provides an alternative means of selection of questions.

The sets of elements may be sets of cards.

The sets of cards may be distinguished from one another in any suitable way using any mark or visual indicators such as pictorial

representations, numbers, colours, etc.

Preferably the sets of cards are distinguished from another by the use of colours.

The sets of cards may be wholly or partly coloured in any suitable way, for instance each card in a respective set may have a coloured side or bear a coloured portion or design on one or both of its sides.

The questions may be of any nature such as general knowledge, or specific field such as science, mathematics, history, astrology, etc. In a preferred embodiment the questions all relate to the field of antiques.

Each set of cards may bear a different type of category of question.

Preferably each individual question is identified by a mark or visual indicator such as a colour or number etc.

The or each selector may select sets of cards in any suitable way but preferably the selector bears marks or visual indicators which correspond to respective marks/visual indicators provided on respective sets of cards.

In a preferred embodiment, the selector comprises a pair of cubical dice, one dice for selecting a set of cards and the other dice for selecting a question thereof. Alternatively, the dice may be a non-cubical or other selector, for example, it may be electronic and may be a pre-programmed random selector device.

The dice for selecting a set of cards may be coloured on each of its

sides; the colours corresponding with respective colours on respective sets of cards.

Similarly the dice for selecting a question may bear marks or visual indicators corresponding to respective marks or visual indicators used to identify individual questions.

The questions may be numbered and thus the dice may bear numbers which may be represented by dots, Roman or Arabic numerals, etc on each of its sides, the numbers corresponding to respective numbers of questions.

The number of questions on each card may be less than the number of sides on the number dice. For instance, there may be three questions on each card, the remaining three sides of the number dice being used for additional selection features, such as selection of other sets of cards, bonuses, penalties etc.

The selector may incorporate a number of devices e. g. pull sticks which each bear (e. g. on the tip of a pull stick), a mark/visual indicator which corresponds with marks/visual indicators corresponding to respective sets of cards/questions, and which are held in a container so as to conceal from the players, each said mark/visual indicator.

In play, the devices are removed to reveal a mark/visual indicator thereby effecting selection.

The selector may comprise one or more rotatable devices for effecting

selection. The rotatable selector may incorporate selection portions such that when the selector is rotated and then allowed to come to or is brought to rest, the position of the selector portion (relative to either a further portion of the selector or any other designated article/location) effects selection.

The selection portion may take any suitable form and may be shaped as a pointer'or bear marks/visual indicators, etc., which may correspond with respective marks/visual indicators provided on respective cards and/or marks/visual indicators used to identify individual questions.

In one embodiment the selector is a pointed star, in which the or each points act as a selector portion.

Advantageously, the apparatus may further include a playing surface on which receiving regions are marked, the regions corresponding with respective sets of cards by, for example, corresponding colours, marks, numbers etc. provided on the surface and the cards.

The playing surface may be provided by a board which may be any sheet material such as cardboard, plastic, metal, etc. The board may have suitable printed matter applied thereto so as to demark said receiving regions.

The selector may be separate from, or incorporated into (i. e. attachable to or integral to) the playing surface.

The rotatable selector described above, may be incorporated into the playing surface preferably so as to be rotatable thereto.

The playing surface may have marks/visual indicators which correspond with pointers/marks/visual indicators on the rotatable selector.

Thus selection is effected with reference to the position of the rotatable selector relative to the marks/visuai indicators on the board.

The apparatus may further include printed cards or tokens representing pseudo money'or prizes which are won in the event that the player answers a selected question correctly.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a playing surface, a pair of dice and card sets according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the dice of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of alternative selectors of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, apparatus 1 for playing an antiques question and answer game is shown and comprises a square board 2 having a playing surface 4 on which eight sets of cards 6 are positioned.

A pair of dice 8 and 9 are also shown resting on the board 2.

The board is a rigid cardboard sheet which has a crease on an axis

X-X along which the board may be folded for storage purposes.

The playing surface 4 is defined by a printed region 4 of the board.

The playing surface 4 has eight rectangular card receiving regions (not shown) arranged around the perimeter of a central point 10 and upon which the card sets are positioned. Each receiving region is coloured with the colours brown, yellow, red, blue, grey and green respectively and an octagonal design adjacent each region is coloured like wise.

Each set of cards bears a coloured octagonal design 12 and a picture 14 on one of its sides. On the other side, three questions and answers are listed (each relating to the field of antiques) and an indication of how many points are awarded for a correct answer to each question. The points given relate to the prices of an antique shown on the card.

With the exception of one set, each set of cards has a different category of questions which correspond with the picture and colour on the cards as follows.

(The sets of cards are divided into two types main category cards and miscellaneous cards).

The main category cards are:- Colour Category of Question Brown Furniture Yellow Fine art

Red Glass Blue Porcelain/Pottery Grey Silverware Green Clocks/Watches The miscellaneous cards are: Colour Category of Question White Miscellaneous (antique)-picture White Miscellaneous (antique)-plain The miscellaneous picture cards are of the same format as the category cards ie. they bear questions.

The miscellaneous plain cards comprise five types: a"General Question and Answer Card"bearing general questions/answers (relating to other fields such as history, culture); a"Joker","Time for a Break","Gold Card"and"Platinum Card", the latter four types not bearing questions and which are described below.

The dice 8 and 9 are shown more clearly in Figure 2 and comprise a 'colour'dice 8 and a'number'dice 9 both being cubical.

Each side of the colour dice 8 bears a coloured octagonal design 15, and the colours 16 correspond with respective colours of the main category card sets and of the colours 16 identifying receiving regions on the board for these card sets.

Each side of the number dice bears an number indicator: numbers 1-3 are represented by dots as with conventional dice, however, arabic numerals are used to represent numbers 4,5, and 6 together with the phrase"MISC" (to represent miscellaneous).

The game may be played by two players or more and the object of the game is to obtain the highest number of points.

To play the game each set of cards are stacked picture-side facing upwards on respective colour coded board positions (as shown in Fig. 1).

Before the game is played, the order of play is determined. Each player throws the number dice 9 and the player having the highest score starts the game by random selection of a question in following manner:- Both dice are thrown on to the board and when the dice comes to rest, the upwardly directed sides of the dice 8 and 9 represent a selection of a colour and a number.

The selected colour determines the category of question and the selected number determines which particular question of that category a player must answer. For example, if the colour red is selected (by the colour dice 8) and the number 3 selected (by the number dice 9) the next player to follow must take the top card from the corresponding (i. e. red) set of cards and ask the current player to answer the third of three questions (on the subject of antique glass) on that card.

However if on landing, the number dice selects 4,5, or 6, this selection cancels out the colour selection by the colour dice and the player must choose a card from the picture or plain miscellaneous sets of cards (the player may choose between these stacks).

If the player answers a question correctly, the player retains the card and the numbers of points carried by that question. (The latter he does not reveal to the other player (s) and reflects the price of an antique shown on the card).

If the player selects a"Platinum"card, instant points are awarded in the range 2-5."A joker"card signifies a fake antique and the player must surrender his Platinum card or if he has no such card, his previous points.

Every time a Platinum card is returned to the plain miscellaneous stack, the stack must be reshuffled. A"Gold"card gives the player a free selection to choose from any card category and a"Time for a Break"card means the player misses a turn.

If a question is answered incorrectly, the card is returned to the set of cards, at the bottom of the stack.

The winning cards are stored in front of each player, left to right, in the order they were won, picture side facing up.

The first player to obtain one of each of the main category cards (blue, red, green, yellow, grey, brown) may (if he has what he considers is

a high enough total points score) halt this stage of the game and initiate the next stage in which the players"go to action". In this stage each player is required to total up their points and the player with the highest score wins.

On the other hand the first player to obtain the 6 main category cards may wish to continue to play to obtain more points.

Only one card from each of the main category cards, together with one each of the miscellaneous cards (one picture and one plain) and any number of Platinum cards may be used to score points.

As play continues each player tries to better his/her score by exchanging a lesser points value antique for a greater one in the same category. As miscellaneous cards may represent points or pitfalls, this adds a further element of surprise to the game which tests players memory whilst adding to their knowledge in the field of antiques.

The total points value places players in rank order:- 1-5 points Car boot Berty 16-20 points Dealer Dan 6-10 points Chipboard Charlie 21-25 points Lucky Expert 11-15 points Pediar Pete over 25 points Supremo! Players may operate as individual players or in teams.

Figure 3 shows the shape of a number of alternative rotatable selectors, or spinners 20 which may be a single planar-type device which

rotates about e. g. a central axle. The examples shown are eight-point and six-point star-shaped versions but the spinner could have any number of pointers 20 and have a single pointer spinner.

In this embodiment the spinner 20 is centrally fixed to the board by a central axle (not shown) so as to be rotatable relative to the board.

In use, the spinner is rotated/spun by a player and allowed to come to rest with a designated pointer 20 pointing so as to select a card set on the board.

A separate spinner is used to select a question. This second spinner may have numbers marked on pointers so that when the spinner comes to rest after rotation, the number on the pointer lined up with the previously selected card set (or other designated location on the board) represents a question selection. Alternatively the card set-selecting spinner could be used in conjunction with a number dice which is used to select a number to select a question.

A circular or octagonal/hexagonal spinner could also be used as above, except that markings/visual indicators on the spinner could be used in place of a pointer to effect selection.

The board (shown as square in Figure 1) could also have a shape corresponding or identical to the shape of the selector.

As an alternative to points, the game apparatus may incorporate tokens or printed pseudo (i. e. fake) money'which is won when a player correctly answers a selected question.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment which are described by way of example only.