Business Notes Leisure

If you correctly answered Singer Tina Turner, chances are you have been playing Rise 'n fly, a best-selling new board game that gives a short course in black history. More than 30,000 copies have been sold since the $29.95 game reached store shelves last December, and retailers such as Macy's in New York City and Kiddie World in Wilmington, Del., are struggling to keep it in stock.

The game was created by Merton Olds, a Du Pont marketing manager with a Ph.D. in chemistry, and his wife Linda, a high school biology teacher. Noting the popularity of Trivial Pursuit, the black couple decided to devise a more educational game. Said Merton: "We wanted to invent something that would build black self-esteem." Their creation has 780 cards containing three questions each. Sample query: Name the most populous African country. Answer: Nigeria. The title Rise 'n fly comes from a type of winning hand.

The Oldses plan to develop a full line of ethnic games. The next, scheduled to appear in February, will be devoted to the Irish. Jewish and Italian versions are on the boards.