Ticket to Ride: First Journey is a family-friendly spin on the tabletop icon

Alan R. Moon’s Ticket to Ride is continuing to cement its status as a modern board game classic by taking the next big step to immortality: getting a kid-friendly spin-off.

Ticket to Ride: First Journey is based on the European version of the game, with a map spanning from Madrid to Moscow on a board blown up to reduce the distance between cities. There's a US-specific version already out in the States, running from the West to East coasts.

The card-drawing, train-laying gameplay survives pretty much intact, with slightly simplified rules and easier objectives marking the main mechanical changes.

There’s also a new art style, with fun cartoons and symbols helping kids to identify each of the locations – Big Ben for London, a Swiss cow for Zurich, the Eiffel Tower for Paris and so on.

The trains themselves have been magnified to account for the reduced recommended age of six and up, and the game now takes between 15 minutes and half an hour to play, which should help younger players stay put for a whole match. (Who are we kidding – they’re still kids.)

First Journey is due out this March or April and will cost €30 (£26). Best start saving that pocket money, kids.