Play a game of Hardwood Backgammon against the computer, against a friend on a single console, or against on online opponent over Xbox Live. Move all of your checkers onto your home board, and then bear off before your opponent does. Roll two of a kind to double your number of moves. Catch your opponent with a vulnerable checker, and send him to the bar. And once you're sure you're going to win, use the doubling cube to bring you even closer to ultimate victory. Play two players on Xbox Live or on the same console. Computer opponent: Go up against world-class play using Neural Net technology. Customizable items: Change environments (backgrounds, some with sound), dice, doubling cube, checkers, and playing board. Communicate: Fooms, much like emotes, don't affect the game, but they might affect your mood - send Fooms such as a Kiss, Fireball, or Lightning at friends or opponents to let them know how you feel.

Whatever happened to the days of actually playing games on boards with human beings sitting close enough to hit should the outcome not go exactly as planned? It seems as though in this day and age when newer pieces of technology are constantly working their way into the mainstream that many of the “old school” amusements have been condensed and altogether replaced by a piece of sleeker software. The game of backgammon now joins the likes of billiards, hearts, and spades as being a few of the age-old pastimes to make the conversion to an Xbox Live Arcade game. While the feeling of holding an Xbox 360 controller may not seem quite right to those of us who grew up playing these games with our grandmothers and uncles, but for this up and coming generation I can think of no better way to teach them the games of yesteryear; all wrapped in the guise of an Xbox 360 game.