To build on the "phrases your grandchildren" thread I was thinking about how spare time was spent before computer games and social media took over.

There are a few obvious contenders here - subbuteo, action man and scalextric - but there were many more.

I am sure there was a board game called Wembley which I vaguely recall and was based on the FA Cup. Think it involved cards and dice too but the details have faded, think I played it in late 60s anyone remember more than me about it?

There was another football game where you pressed the player's head and the leg activated to kick the ball. No idea what it was called.

There was the horse racing game - Totopoly (?). Mate of mine had that one and it seemed extra cool then because it had a double sided playing board. One side for the paddock, one side for the actual racetrack.

Sure there are many others so over to you and your memories of simpler times.

I had a horse racing game called Escalado, which involved turning a handle to make the track vibrate, which then caused the horses to move forward. Never heard of it since. Early fifties

I had a horse racing game called Escalado, which involved turning a handle to make the track vibrate, which then caused the horses to move forward. Never heard of it since. Early fifties

Had it when I was younger (early 00s).

Some of my favourite memories were spent playing boardgames with the family, Monopoly, Game of Life (not the later versions as they're awful) and the like.

Whatever happened to the little green soldiers? Hours of fun lining them up and throwing stones at them. Or maybe lego, I know that's still around though, saved my parents having to entertain us for many a day.

Battling tops, pull the string launches the little spinning tops into the plastic arena. Last one standing wins the game. I think safety standards probably put a stop to it though still was a fun game

I remember certain games had seasons. Obviously Autumn for conkers, but for some reason marbles, hop-scotch, playing cards up the wall, and that game involving a small rubber ball and five cubes, all seemed to be played by everybody or nobody.

Slightly off topic, but in that late 50s era, I recall a friend announcing that not only had his family got a TV, a rarity on our council estate, but it was in colour! Cue total disbelief, so he took us to his house to demonstrate it. It transpired his father had spent five bob on a tricolour coloured plastic screen-sized sheet, giving a picture with a blue band at the top, a green band in the middle and a brown band at the bottom. Strangely, every so often the colours nearly made sense, but it never caught on.

Loved Totopoly, Subbuteo football, rugby and cricket. My fave was Formula One.

I think Totopoly must have been one of the best (most engrossing) games ever invented!
Get a stable, buy horses, train them, race them, bet on them. Fantastic game that you could really get into. Brother and I both loved horse racing too so a fantastic game for us.

Escalado was fun but more in a 'Mum's had a snowball' Xmas party type fun!! There is an episode of The Repair Shop where they mend an escalado game but not as old as the one I remember. 50s (metal horses) as someone mentioned.

I had the Wembley game back in the 50s and the object was to get your team to the FA cup final. There were different sets of dice with goal scores on them and the higher division your team were from the better scores on your dice. You could accumulate bonus goals via cards as you moved around the board or be penalised depending on where you landed. It passed an hour or so trying to get Argyle on a cup run.
I also had Escalado and when the Grand National came round each year I ran heats (there were only 5 or 6 horses) using the list of runners from the paper to find the eventual winner and then tell my dad which one he should bet on. I do remember in the late 50s a horse called Mr What came through to win my Escalado Grand National and I pleaded with my dad to back it for me.... it won of course but I think all I got was a lecture on gambling ‘will bring rags to your arse’ from my mother

What was the game where you pressed the players head and he kicked ball was it striker?

[Ponty]

What was the game where you pressed the players head and he kicked ball was it striker?

Wycombe away?

What was the game where you pressed the players head and he kicked ball was it striker?

Striker it certainly was

I remember playing cricket with dice, so many different card games from euchre to cheat with rummy in the middle.. monopoly clued and risk were also favourites as well as mouse trap..

Of course the cricket game how did I forget that? Owzat! wasn't it?

Two dice weren't there well cylindrical dice? One for run scoring and one for trying to take wickets. Simple pleasures a million miles away from today's video based games.

Owzat was played with 2 small metal hexagons which were rolled. It came in a small tin about 25mm square and about 10 mm deep.The batter was labelled 1,2, 3, 4, 6 and howzat . The bowler was marked 'not out' on 5 sides and 'out ' on the sixth. The face which finished on top was the one that counted.
A simple game you could play by yourself or with a friend. I played dozens of test matches by myself or with friends.
I'm surprised its not still available, Its an ideal toy to have with you when on holiday and the kids are stuck indoors because its raining.