Games are fun. I like games.

There's a pretty neat game shop around the corner from my new place. I dropped in the other day to take a look. The man behind the counter was both friendly and knowledgeable. He asked me which games I played. (Munchkin, Scrabble, D&D, Apples to Apples, Kill Dr. Lucky) "Yup. We play all of those here." And he actually meant that they play them. About half of the establishment (totaling about 2,000 sq. ft., I'd guess) was dedicated to active gaming of all sorts. There were miniatures, word games, card games, etc. With the full gamut of ages and genders actively playing games. It was both neat and terrifying. I will be patronizing this establishment in the future (like to pick up Cthulhu Munchkin).

I'd love to know if any of you have recommendations for good games to pick up. I'm looking for things in two categories: 1) things that are good for two people that my girlfriend and I can play or 2) things that are good for groups of 4-8 that require a minimum of explanation. I will consider Perquacky and Settlers of Catan as givens.