Handheld electronic game by less bright dots). In 1978 the Milton Bradley Company entered the handheld market with Simon, a simple color-and-sound-matching game. Simon had no dedicated display, but featured four colored, lighted buttons; the original version was large enough to be used as a tabletop game or a handheld; later versions became increasingly smaller. The same year, Parker Brothers also released Merlin, a more sophisticated handheld which could play six different games using an array of 11 buttons with integrated LEDs. Despite their relative simplicity, each of these early games was highly successful. The initial success of Mattel and Parker Brothers' entries
Skirrid (board game) Skirrid (board game) Skirrid is a board game designed for 2–6 players. It is played on a 19×19 square board which is divided into two areas: a central diamond (coloured white) and the four corner triangles (coloured black) that remain. One player has 18 translucent tiles made of clear plastic, the other of smoked plastic. These tiles come in six different shapes, each with their own name: White begins by placing any of his tiles across the centre square. The players then take turns placing their pieces on the board, which is covered with numbers. Players must play within the