This is probably our favorite game!  Ticket to Ride can be played by adults and children together with out the adults needing to "let" a child win.  It teaches strategy, is simple enough to allow for conversations during play, and is easy to learn!  I love how much geography my children have learned through these games!  We now own both the US and European versions.  (Note, the US version is far more similar to the current geography than the European version is to current European geography.  It provides for good conversation about the change of political borders and city names.)  We've given this as a gift multiple times as well.