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Road games can be a positive way to divert children from asking the dreaded question “are we there yet?” For decades people have thought up different ideas to keep their kids amused while traveling. Remember this bingo-type game from Holiday Inn? Well, road diversions did not start in the mid-20th century.

Back in 1939 Shell Gasoline published a pamphlet called “Games to Play on the Way.” In addition to fabulous illustrations—

—the brochure is chock-full of innovative and interesting games. The best part, they don’t require any items purchased from a store. It’s just you and your kids having fun.

The first page gives an overview of the pastimes contained within, as well as a very important safety tip.

Instructions for each game are clear and concise, and don’t need input from me. I will just pop in for an occasional comment here and there.

Let me pull over for a quick pitstop. I found the next two pages to be rather confusing, at first. These games focus on people they call “Screwdrivers.” I had to think about this one for a minute. Obviously, a book about road games is not going to have anything to do with putting together a bookcase.

Perhaps the word “screwdriver” had a different meaning in the 1930s, one that has changed in the intervening 80 years. I looked it up in the Merriam-Webster dictionary and got two different definitions.

The first is a “tool for turning screws.” No surprise there. The second is also not a surprise. It’s defined as a “vodka and orange juice drink served with ice.”

Neither apply in the context of road games. I thought about it for a while, then the truth hit me. They didn’t mean screwdriver, they meant screwy (as in crazy) driver.

I knew I was now on the correct path when the first paragraph read “Screwdrivers are the greatest menace in everyday driving.” Then came rules for spotting the “Double Parking Screwdriver,” the “Wide Model Screwdriver,” the “Sneak Screwdriver,” the “Visiting Screwdriver,” and finally the “Lazy Screwdriver.” Fun, huh?

After you have escaped the screwy people you can play “Stop and Go.” Or be on the lookout for an automobile that isn’t made anymore. Unfortunately, the Packard last graced American roadways in 1956. That doesn’t mean this particular game is now extinct. Simply substitute a different model of car for the vanished Packard.

The next pastime doesn’t require any automobiles at all. Just be on the lookout for a “Bird, Beast or Fish.”

Then come variations of classic games like Black Jack—

As well as “Simon Says.”

Searching for horses wouldn’t work so well in the city, but might be lots of fun in the country.

Also, you get to drive with a not-so-spooky “Ghost,” or a literary “Poet.”

The final road game lets you “Tour with the Alphabet.” Fun and educational too!

Shell Oil and Gas published this pamphlet over 80 years ago to entertain their customers. I am sure travelers in the 1930s appreciated their efforts, as we do now.

I can’t wait to try to spot a white horse, or search for a high number on a license plate. Thanks Shell, for reminding us that driving down the road can be lots of fun. It’s also Glorious Vintage Stuff!