Snakes and Ladders
One ladder and you shoot straight up. One snake and you slide right back down. The classic that teaches early that luck turns fast.
View on Amazon →No reading required
Based purely on numbers and colors — accessible even before starting school.
100% luck-based
Nobody has an advantage — even the youngest in the family can win.
Short games
Ten to fifteen minutes per round, perfect for an immediate rematch.
Who is it for?
For little ones discovering board games for the first time — simple, colorful, and with no strategy to master.
What to know about this Snakes and Ladders board game
The link leads to Gladius Snakes & Ladders (Serpents et échelles), listed on Amazon.ca as a bilingual French-English edition. Gladius is a board game publisher based in Lévis, Quebec, founded in 1996. The game plays 2 to 4, ages 4 and up.
The box holds a game board, 4 coloured pawns, 1 die and the rules. The goal: be the first to reach square 100. Roll the die and move that many squares. Land at the foot of a ladder and you climb to the top; land on a snake's head and you slide down to its tail. Young players practise counting to 100 without even noticing.
It's a very old game from India, where it was called Moksha Patam and taught moral lessons: ladders stood for virtues, snakes for vices. In the U.S., Milton Bradley turned it into Chutes and Ladders in 1943, swapping the snakes for playground slides.
Strengths and limits
Strengths
- No reading needed: a perfect first board game.
- Helps kids count and recognize numbers up to 100.
- Bilingual edition, handy for French-English families.
- Made by a Quebec publisher.
Limits
- 100% luck: no strategy, so older kids tire of it quickly.
- Four players max in this box (4 pawns).
- A single die that can easily roll under the couch.
- Small pieces aren't suitable for kids under 3.
Before you buy
- Check on the Amazon.ca listing that it's the 4-pawn Gladius edition (Gladius also makes a 2-to-6-player version).
- Recommended age: 4+.
- Looking for Chutes and Ladders? That's Hasbro's American version, with the same basic rules.
- Check today's price on Amazon.ca.
FAQ
What are the Snakes and Ladders rules?
Players take turns rolling the die and moving that many squares. Land at the bottom of a ladder and climb up; land on a snake's head and slide down to its tail. The first player to reach square 100 wins.
Snakes and Ladders rules at the end: do you need an exact roll?
Many families play that you need the exact number to land on 100, otherwise you stay put (or bounce back). Follow the rule sheet in the box, or agree on it before you start.
Chutes and Ladders vs Snakes and Ladders: what's the difference?
Same game, different look. Snakes and Ladders comes from India and reached England in the 1890s. Milton Bradley released Chutes and Ladders in the U.S. in 1943, replacing snakes with slides and the die with a spinner.
Sources: game page on the Éditions Gladius website (gladius.ca, accessed September 2026); Amazon.ca product listing (accessed September 2026).
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