HOLIDAYS : It’s All in the Game : A night of board play is cheaper than going to a movie and more active than watching TV.

Weary of shuttling your family to blockbuster movies about families who have more fun and adventure than your brood will ever see? Try staying home alone with your own family for a round of one of today’s new, fun games.

Pat Norquist and her family find that their “sense of humor, mischief and fun” lies dormant when they watch too much TV. “A board game brings it all back,” says Norquist. “We get to giggle, interact and be creative.”

Norquist, with husband Eric and son Michael, 12, play games, including Scattergories, Taboo and Trivial Pursuit, about once a month at their Van Nuys home. “It’s delightful to see how creative and inventive your child becomes when playing, especially if you downplay the competition element,” says Norquist, who works as a writer and marketing consultant.

Norquist adds that games are packed with long-lasting entertainment value, versus a dinner and movie that, for a family of four, can cost up to $100. Most games cost about $30.

When purchasing any of the following best-selling games, consider bringing your children along to help choose--they’ll have more fun when it comes time to roll the dice. Prices may vary from store to store.

* Taboo is much like a verbal match of charades. Players attempt to explain words, each matched with five taboo words that cannot be spoken to team members. The taboo words are, of course, the best clues to the word that players are trying to explain. For example, the words “animals,” “cages,” “wild,” “go” and “see” can’t be spoken while explaining the word “zoo.” Players must go onto the next word should they slip, until their one-minute round is up.

Teams of two or more keep playing, racking up points until they win. A new celebrity version is available--forbidding players to use such clues as “violet eyes” and “National Velvet” when talking of Elizabeth Taylor.

For ages 12 and older. $25.95.

* Trivial Pursuit. The popular board game that requires players to answer trivia questions from six categories now comes in a family edition. In this new version, both kids and adults receive their own set of trivia cards. Teams of two or more.

Ages 8 and older. $32.50. A replacement card set containing adult and children’s cards costs $24.95.

* Split Second. “It’s not what you know, it’s how fast you know it,” according to the hype on this game, which challenges as many as six players to slam down levers on a device that resembles an octopus. After a player reads a question (“What marks the spot?”) other players must first write down the answer on their note pads and then slam down their levers. Players win by racking up points.

Ages 12 and older. $29.95.

* Scattergories. Players are given identical lists of 12 categories, such as “sports,” “U.S. cities” and “cartoon characters.” After rolling a die imprinted with alphabet letters, players have limited time to jot down a word in each category that begins with the letter rolled. Players are awarded points for answers not duplicated by other players.

Ages 12 and older. $27.95.

* Guesstures is similar to charades, except that a “mimer timer” is used to time and order the game. To start, a team member draws five cards printed with words and then arranges them from easiest to most difficult in the timer. After the timer is started, team members have five seconds to guess each word before the card drops out of view. More points are awarded for more difficult words. For teams of two or more.

Ages 12 and older. $25.95.

* Outburst. Team members shout out answers to such questions as “Name 10 things you’d find in a bowling alley” as another player marks them off a master list. After the one-minute timer runs out, points are awarded for each word checked off. Scores are kept on a cribbage-style board. An updated version has new cards. For teams of two or more.

Ages 12 and older. $26.95.

* True Colors is an updated--some would say toned down--version of Scruples. As many as six players, who wear colored tags, are collectively asked questions, such as “Who in this group is most likely to have a lucky rabbit’s foot?” Players anonymously vote on the question with a color tag that matches the player they choose. After voting, players must guess how many votes they received.

Ages 12 and older. $26.95.

* Jigsaw Puzzle Mystery. Players read a mystery story and then assemble a jigsaw puzzle containing from 500 to 1,500 pieces. The resulting picture of a room, outdoor scene or other depiction contains clues to the mystery, which can then be solved.

Easy, moderate, difficult and “impossible” versions are available. $20 to $23.