Although Black Friday has come and gone, Erik Arneson over at About.com’s board game blog has some Black Friday recommendations for board games that are suitable as gifts for young children, or adults and older children. 

For young children, he recommends these titles:

Electronic Guess Who? Extra
Hula Hippos (I guess the hippos have stopped being “hungry, hungry”?)
Sorry! Sliders
Star Wars Galactic Heroes

For older kids and adults, Arneson recommends:

A to Z Electronic Version
Backseat Drawing
Blokus 3D
Pictionary Man
Pictureka!
Snorta!
Tiki Topple
Yahtzee Free for All
Apples to Apples
Electronic Catch Phrase
Wits and Wagers

My personal recommendations include the following less-mainstream games:

Zombies from Twilight Creations
In this game, based loosely on the various zombie movies, players take on the role of a human survivor of the zombie apocalypse attempting to make it to a helicopter landing pad and escape on the helicopter.  The game can run rather long if you have a large number of players, but I’ve enjoyed the hours I’ve spent playing it and so have my friends.  For more information, see this page on the manufacturer’s web site.

Pirate’s Cove from Days of Wonder
This game puts players in the role of pirates, trying to amass fame and fortune on the high seas.  There’s a bit of luck and a bit of strategy involved in winning the game.  It’s rated for ages 8 and up.

Family Business from Mayfair Games
In this game, each player takes the lead of a mafia crime family and tries to wipe out the other gangs by putting out hits on them, getting them arrested, etc.  It’s a fast-paced game and requires a good bit of strategy to win.  It’s not especially graphic or bloody, though it depicts a very violent time (Prohibition era) in American history.  It’s suitable for ages 8 and up.

It is fair to note that the above links go to Amazon.com, where I have an affiliate account. While your purchase via the above links will NOT increase the price you pay, this site and I will get a small percentage of your total order amount for going through the link to this site.