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The Difference Between Chutes & Ladders and Candy Land Board Games

Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land are two classic board games, manufactured in 1942 and 1945 respectively, which provide small children with hours of challenging competition, camaraderie and fun. Each beautifully illustrated game has its own distinctive methods of play, game characteristics and rules which gives it fresh appeal every time it is played.

Themes
- The Candy Land game illustrations are all based on the theme of sweet treats such as gingerbread houses, lollipops, chocolates and ice cream. The story behind the game is a tale of a quest to find the lost candy king and the last square on the board is the king's candy castle.
  
  Chutes and Ladders is reminiscent of a traditional playground with a variety of slides and ladder steps. It is a visual swing set and jungle gym combined, providing children with indoor mind exercises rather than outdoor physical activities. Busy children active in all modes of crafts and play are featured on the board.
Age Range, Number of Players and Cost
- Chutes and Ladders is designated for children ages 3 and up while Candy Land is more appropriate for children ages 6 and up. Adults, especially parents and grandparents, and older siblings can also play these simple and entertaining board games, especially the first few times to help familiarize the children with the rules and etiquette. Up to four participants can play Candy Land at any one time and up to six for Chutes and Ladders. The two games are some of the least expensive board games available, usually priced between $5 and $10 each, at the time of publication.
Rules
- The main rule for both games is essentially the same and that is to get to the last square before your opponents. Throughout the play sessions the children are challenged with obstacles that set them back in the game or shortcuts that pull them ahead of the other players. They must attempt to keep the lead to get through all the squares first and win. Chutes and Ladders has 100 squares while Candy Land has 134 squares. Chutes and Ladders features a spin board to give the participants the number of moves they can take while Candy Land requires the players to draw colored cards.
Other Applications
- Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land are such classic favorites that they have been geared to be played on both Game Boy and Nintendo DS game systems which gives children more opportunities and methods to continue to play these family favorites.

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