Bedroom games: with these boudoir contests, the loser can be the winner — and vice versa

Michael had been living with his girlfriend for a couple of years, and things were going great. He was even thinking about the M word (as in, no making out with anyone else, ever). There was just one problem: their sex life, which had started out good and gotten great as they became more and more comfortable with one another, but was now starting to feel a little bit stale. Sometimes it seemed to Michael like just one more addition to the nightly ritual, along with brushing his teeth and taking his vitamins.

It's no secret that a hot sex life is difficult to maintain in a long-term relationship, especially when familiarity, kids, job pressures or a new football season come into the picture. In fact, according to a survey in the new book Married Lust, only a third of married men are satisfied with the sex they have with their wives. That's not to say you can't have plenty of blazing, wild, Lion Country Safari-style nooky for years and years. It's just that sometimes you need to throw some kindling onto the embers.

One way to get that fire burning bright again is with games that are intended for couples to play in the privacy of their bedrooms. But just how hot are these adult toys? We asked three couples to try them out: Michael and his girlfriend, both in their 30s; a pair in their late 20s who've been dating for several months; and a married-with-child couple in their mid-20s. Here's how they rated some of the more popular intimacy games on the market.

AN ENCHANTED EVENING

This game, devised by a husband-and-wife team, is more romantic than sexy. "[It's] for couples who might be uncomfortable being explicitly sexual with each other," Michael says. In other words, if you don't have a high tolerance for schmaltz, you may find yourself suggesting that the two of you knock off and go to a movie instead. (Make sure she feels the same way, or she'll be telling her friends you're "unromantic" for the next five years.)

Game play: As you move game pieces around the board, you pick up cards with such suggestions as, "Softly whisper something loving in your partner's ear" or "Trace your name somewhere on your partner's body." ($25 from Time for Two; 800-776-7662; www.timefortwo.com)

Ratings (Indicates the average score of the participants, from a low of 1 to a high of 4.)

Sexiness: 2
Fun: 2
Educational value: 2
Ease of play: 3

SEXSATIONAL!

This game, created by the folks who brought you An Enchanted Evening, is the kind of thing you're likely to find in the lobby of a doily-filled bed-and-breakfast, which should give you some idea of the kind of night you're in for. What's more, it requires you to do a lot of the work--you fill out cards with your "fantasy desires" and make your own "wild choice" of body parts to be examined or touched when the suggested ideas prove too tame (which they probably will). In fact, while women may like some of the kissy-face suggestions, all of our testers found the action too mild for their tastes--which may say more about them than about the game.

Game play: You pick cards from different categories, then answer questions or, you know, do stuff. ($24.95 from the Xandria Collection; 800-242-2823)

Sexiness: 2
Fun: 2
Educational value: 1
Ease of play: 2

THE KAMA SUTRA GAME

Our horny testers agreed that this game was the most enjoyable of the bunch, especially for uninhibited couples who are willing to explore the outer limits of their sensuality.

Suggestions on cards and on the playing board mostly involve touching each other in certain ways, and in certain places, that you may not have thought of before. "This one really helped us appreciate taking time to explore each other," said one tester, who refused to return the game when the test was over.

Game play: You perform whatever action is suggested by the space you land on, or follow more complicated instructions on various cards. Eventually someone "wins," but by then nobody cares. ($34.95 from the Xandria Collection; www.xandria.com)

Sexiness: 4
Fun: 4
Educational value: 3
Ease of play: 3

DIRTY DICE

How simple is this game? It's a pair of dice--more a novelty than a learning tool. But so what? One die has assorted sex verbs printed on it, such as lick and squeeze; the other references areas of the human body. (You mathematicians in the crowd will quickly realize that between the two six-faced dice there are 36 potential maneuvers.) Dirty Dice is so portable that you'll be tempted to take the game to parties--where you'll be a whole lot more popular than the guy who brought Twister.

Game play: Roll the dice, do the deed. ($4 from Good Vibrations; 800-289-8423; www.goodvibes.com)

Sexiness: 3
Fun: 2
Educational value: 1
Ease of play: 4

WILDLY SEXY DARES

You'd need to be really adventurous to take on some of the suggestions this game makes (there's even a disclaimer asserting that dares are to be engaged in "at the player's own risk"). Exhibitionism is very big here: You might be encouraged to "push her buttons" in an elevator, while she might be told to expose herself to you in a restaurant. If your love of adventure sports extends to open-air amour, go for it--just keep in mind that many of the scenarios may take hours, if not days, to accomplish, and the legal ramifications of being caught could last even longer.