I know that many of you like to play really involved, complex games that use up all the space on your table and take 3 hours to play, and even then you have to play it 7 times before you really understand how the game really works. But sometimes, you're on an airplane and need a good game that will fit on your tray table. Travel Sequence is that game.

Travel Sequence is based off of (duh) Sequence. Travel Sequence differs in that it is played on a smaller board (6x8 as opposed to 10x10), and only has one of each playing card on the board, instead of two. Also, the winner is the one who gets two rows of four markers, whereas in the original Sequence the winner only has to get one row of five markers. Travel Sequence is for only 2 players, as opposed to 2-4 players for Sequence. The rule of Jacks works the same: a two-eyed Jack is a wild card, while a one-eyed Jack lets you remove one of your opponent's marker.

The game is well-designed for travel. The box is about the size of an average hardback book. When you open the box, one side has the game board (mounted securely) and the other side has the compartments for the deck of cards, pegs and discard trays. The board has holes in the center of each card; the pegs are an obvious modification over the checkers in the original game. While the pegs come in their own plastic bags, they can be stored loose: they will not escape their compartments when the box is closed, which is nice.

Game play is only partially dependent on skill and strategy. You can have the best strategy in the world, but you still need the right cards to come up!

The use of the Jacks adds a nice element to the game. The two-eyed "wild card" Jack allows you to use the Jack offensively or defensively (for example, to fill a spot in the middle of a sequence your opponent is working on). And the one-eyed Jack is just "mean" enough to make the game interesting, without being too hard on a non-aggressive player who might otherwise be offended at your attempts to win the game at all cost. :^)

We've had Travel Sequence for about 6 or 7 years now, and it's a great go-to game when we just want to wind down a little. I just introduced the game to my 5-year-old boy yesterday, and he took right to it. In fact, I've only won one out of five.

I haven't played any other travel games so far, but I'm quite happy with this one. It might not offer the challenge that some of you insist on in your games, but it's the kind of game that most people can play.