Snakes with ladders is a board game for two or more players regarded today as a worldwide classic The game originated in ancient India as Moksha Patam and was brought to the UK in the 1890s It is played on a game board with numbered gridded squares A number of ladders and snakes are pictured on the board, each connecting two specific board squares The object on the game is to navigate ones game piece, according to die rolls, from the start bottom square to the finish top square helped by climbing ladders but hindered by falling down snakes

The game is a simple race based on sheer luck and it is popular with young children The historic version had its roots in morality lessons on which a players progression up the board represented a life journey complicated by virtues ladders and vices snakes