WATERLOO - In the end, advocates said it was a no-brainer, and retailers responded as such.

National advocacy group Join Together's success in pressuring national retailers to pull binge drinking games relied on a simple premise: Encouraging underage people to drink until they can't stand straight - with board games that parody children's titles, like "Shots and Ladders" - is not a good idea.

Who can say 'no' to that?

One by one, Kohl's, Target and Linens 'n Things responded to concerns from Join Together and its vast grass-roots network, and removed games with titles like "Beer Pong," "Keel Over" and "Roulette Shot." Shortly before Christmas, Kohl's received more than 2,800 letters urging the retailer to remove the games from shelves, which it did within three days. Target and Linens 'n Things each followed suit this month.

After pulling the products from its online store, Target officials sent a letter to Join Together apologizing for "any offense or disappointment" carrying the product caused. In their letter to Join Together, Linens 'n Things disagreed that the games were meant to promote irresponsible drinking, but thanked the letter writers for expressing their concerns.

Eric Helmuth, director of online communications for Join Together, a program funded by the Boston University School of Public Health, said the games were targeted because they present a safety hazard. He said any number of things - fights, alcohol poisoning or car crashes - can result from playing these games.

"The games' sole purpose is to facilitate an unhealthy behavior, which is getting drunk very fast," he said. "They encourage an awful lot of shots in games that make heavy drinking a competition."

Last year, a government survey, using data from 2003-04, found Iowa ranked No. 4 in the nation in the percentage of people 12 to 20 years old who reported binge drinking in the past month. Iowa ranked behind North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. In the survey, nearly 28 percent of Iowa's youths and young adults said they binged on alcohol in the past month.

Janet Lyons, project coordinator for Pathways Behavioral Services, spends her days ensuring children live in a safe and healthy environment, which includes helping law enforcement conduct underage drinking stings. She called the local Kohl's store last month to urge the store to remove the games. She said even though the games were sold in the adult clothing section, people didn't have to be 21 to buy them because they didn't include alcohol.

"It is making a difference if people voice their concerns about things," she said.

Alice Baruth, a prevention supervisor at Pathways, said even playing the games occasionally can cause adverse health effects. She noted the American Medical Association recommends healthy people consume no more than three drinks in one day, and sip only one drink over the course of an hour.

Another problem she has with games is they propagate the attitude that "holding your liquor" should be a badge of honor. She said those who drink heavily are less likely to exhibit physical signs of impairment, even though recent studies suggest the person may be mentally impaired and unable to complete complex tasks like driving.

"Society calls people who can't drink a lot wimps and weenies. It's actually the person who can drink the most without feeling effects who is at the most risk," she said.

While the recent campaign was a success, Helmuth said a lot of the games were seasonal items that were due to come off the shelves anyway. For that reason, he said his organization will continue to monitor stores to ensure the games don't reappear.

"We'll be keeping a very close eye on it as major gift-giving holidays like Father's Day come around, and certainly the Christmas holidays next year," he said.

Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.