Ego is a very simple to learn yet challenging to play abstract strategy game in which the goal is to jump the opposing player's large pawn (the "EGO") with one of your own small pawns (an "EGOT").

From the game's instruction sheet: "The objective of the game is for one player to jump the EGO of the other player. The EGO is representative of the players’ skill, ingenuity, and adaptiveness as displayed through the players’ defensiveness, problem solving ability or progressiveness through the use of the players' EGOTS."

Game contents:
-1 wood board with 92 holes, 2 of which are surrounded by a gold ring to mark where the EGO pawns are placed
-36 small black "EGOT" pawns
-1 large black "EGO" pawn
-36 small white "EGOT" pawns
-1 large white "EGO" pawn
-1 sheet containing English instructions on one side and French instructions on the other

This is a purely strategic game with no luck involved, which means that the loser is sure to be left with a bruised ego!

There is an interesting story behind this game, as told by Derek MacKenzie, grandson of the game designer. He says his grandfather, Dr. Fred MacKenzie, was a psychiatrist who designed this game in his spare time. (It looks like the game might have been independently published too, since the front of the rather flimsy cardboard box only says it was copyright in 1983 by "EGO INC." and manufactured by "MJM MFG. INC.", the single page of rules state that it was made in Canada, and there is nothing at all printed on the back of the box.) But apparently, not long after the game was published, Dr. MacKenzie was threatened with legal action by the Lego company due to his game's name being similar. So he quickly took the game off the market and sold the rights to his son (Derek's father). It is interesting to note that another game named "Ego" was released just nine years later (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10497). Dr. MacKenzie currently resides in Ontario, Canada.