Editorial Review

The Heroscape line of toys is like the all-star game of make believe. While other games might focus on a specific era of history, the age of chivalry, perhaps, or the Jurassic period, Heroscape puts everyone together on one enormous madcap battlefield. Vikings, World War II soldiers, ninjas, mutant monsters, samurais, dinosaurs, dragons, they’re all there, done up as tiny, highly detailed figure. It would be sort of comic if all the players didn’t look so gosh-darn serious. 85 interlocking terrain tiles are also included so you can craft exactly the landscape you wish for all the action to happen on. Multiple dice are featured along with game cards and detailed instructions on how to play. We liked the boundless imagination of this game and the open-minded versatility of its imaginary protagonists. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Editorial Review

Horses hold a magical appeal for children. This colorfully designed board game provides an exciting fantasy environment for two to six horse lovers. In the first game, players pretend to be wild mustang stallions galloping through mountains and valleys, gathering a herd to protect while facing such obstacles as cougars and bad weather. The first player to round up a herd wins. In two other games, players are ranchers rounding up strays and competing to fill out their herds. Players are sure to enjoy the in-depth educational information about horses and horse breeds that is included. This is a great game to saddle up when it's rainy on the ranch, providing enough challenge to play with parents as well as with friends. --Lee Strucker ... Read more

Reviews (29)

The perfect game for any horse lover!
When I recieved this game as a Christmas present five years ago, my parents did not realize how much I would love playing it! For a horse crazy girl, it was the perfect gift. The idea of being a beautiful, wild mustang fighting to reach safety in a race against other stallions and obstacles was enchanting. Along the way, the player has to build their own herd by collecting unique picture cards of various horses. The cards inform on the horse's breed and personality, including information that is educational and interesting. The two alternative games are also fun to play. All in all, the game's colorful format and imaginative appeal make it a guaranteed favorite for any horse lover!

fun!
this game is adictive,FUN and educational.it is all my 6 year old sister has thought about since she played.

Great Game!!! Worth your money!!
I bought this game for my 8 year old neice in November last year. It was a big hit!! This game is so great. There are 3 ways to play it. The horse cards are beautifully illustrated and have lots of great facts about each horse on them. This game is so much fun for the whole family. In fact, I think I'm going to buy it for my 5 year old son. Every time we visit my neice, that's all he wants to play. It's a really fun game and a MUST for any horse lover.

I LOVE THIS GAME!
It is very fun and interesting to play! Even if you don't LOVE horses you will still really like this game!

Herd Your Horses! probably the best board game in the world!
i got this game 4 my b-day about 2 years ago. i LOVE it!! i have a GREAT LOVE 4 HORSES. they are jsut sooooooooo coool!!
i would recommend this game for ANYONE who loves horses. there are a lot of neat things in the world, and horses are DEFINATELY 1 of them!!!!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

"It is the spring of 1942. The world is at war. Five world powers are struggling for supremacy. You and your opponents control the military and economic destiny of one or more of these countries.... In this game, you'll discover that cooperation and negotiation are just as important as tactical maneuvering." So begins the 32-page instruction manual for Axis & Allies. To win this complex strategy game, you must learn to be a master economist and a brilliant military strategist and tactician. The game board is a map of the world divided into the spheres of influence that existed at the height of World War II. Both the Axis and Allied powers are allotted combat forces and income, measured in Industrial Production Certificates (IPCs). You must manage your nation's economy and lead its military forces--air, land, and sea--into well-chosen battles. The intricacies of the game are carefully spelled out, as are the criteria each side must meet to become the victors. Contents include 299 detailed combat force playing pieces, IPCs, dice, markers and chips to chart each country's progress, and everything you need to change the course of history in under a day. For two to five players. --Rachel Radway ... Read more

Reviews (131)

Great strategy game
Axis and Allies is best described as a "thinking person's Risk." While random dice rolls still determine the outcome of battles, the decisions players are forced to make, allow the game to be far more challenging than the better known Risk while not hampering its play-ability. Do you need infantry or armored units? Should you build an airforce or a navy? When do you attack and when do you assume a defensive posture? All are questions players need to consider. Axis and Allies is easy play the first time and challenging enough that it is still a game you will want to play the hundredth time you take it out of the box. The flexibility of the game which pits the Allies (US, USSR, GB) against the Axis (Germany, Japan) allows for two players to enjoy the game as much as when as many as five players each control the destiny of each country during WWII. The colorful gameboard and plastic infantry, tanks, ships, and planes all work together to make this one of my favorite games.

Recommend you all
In 1990 I had first played the game. As I am living so far from USA, in Turkey, It belonged to one of my friends who used to live in USA and came for a vacation. I have never forgot the fun that I felt. In 1999 (between these years I was looking someone who I could order the game)I looked for the game from Amazon's site but during those days It was not available. (It is not also available in Turkey)So I ordered the game to one of my friends who was living in Canada. I and my friends have been spending our weekends playing with the game from the day I got it. After a short time period we have decided that one was not enough so one of my friend in Turkey ordered another one to the guy who brought it to me. It deserves these demands.

Simple concepts, complex strategies
The great thing about this game is novices will reduce the game to germany vs. russia in karelia. Advanced players will learn that there are ways to defeat ANY strategy. Also, the plethera of optional rules and add-ons provide more diversity.

For example one of the popular options for club play goes something like this. The allies have a distinct advantage in a game of equally matched players, so players bid down how many extra "dollars" worth of units they would need to win with the axis. These units can be placed in any combination where the axis already have units.Favorites are manchuria, egypt, or eastern europe...or even spread the extra units between the 3. Good luck, and you might want to try the new Axis&Allies:Europe.

Spring 1942
This is a wonderful game with a historical premise. The scenario is accurate and each piece represents roughly a division, squadron or battle group. The pieces are so detailed that you can land the planes on the carriers! There is also room for creative rules interpretations...

Axis & Allies: Fun Until A Strategy Is Settled Upon
When I first started playing Axis & Allies I was very impressed. It was fun game that acurrately depicted the strategic conditions of the major powers in 1942. However, after repeated play, anyone can see that the game is Russia/Germany (not unlike the real war itself.) If the Russian player is wise he will throw everything he has into Karelia at the begining of the game. The German player will have no choice but to attack with the odds against them. Whoever wins this battle (almost always it's Russia) will win the game. Xeno games has made some very similar games to Axis & Allies. 'World at War' and 'Europe at War' are far superior to Axis & Allies both in fun and replay value. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Best board game ever made.
Diplomacy, without doubt, is simply the best board game ever made. ... any other game has nothing on diplomacy, it's incredible.
I first played it with some friends in school after a teacher introduced us to it, and within a couple of turns was completely hooked.
The game deal with world war I Europe, encompassing land and naval warfare, and the integration of both. The game is turn based and the map is divided up into territories, as well as major cities. More cities=more armies/navies, pretty simple concept.
Each player controls a particular country, and starts off with their armies/navies deployed as the rulebook says.
Unlike other board games, the game does not rely on dice rolling(some people have thought a better name for risk would be luck), so armies are evenly matched. In order for an army to invade another territory already occupied by an army, the invading arm must be supported by another army or navy in a territory adjacent to both.
So, players have to think strategically and diplomatically. This is a great group game(up to seven can play). Each turn, players submit a movement sheet, instructing each army what to do, everyone moves at the same time. So there is like a ten minute diplomacy session, where people talk to each other about what they're going to do, and how to help each other, trouble is, they can often lie.
The game is exceptionally good, it is also a good educational toy I'm not quite sure what durable means, the game is as physically durable as any other board game(so take care of it), as for play durability, I've been going for four years, and it just gets better.
This game is the monopoly of strategy games, every home should have a copy, buy it now.

The Best of Games
Excruciating game as well as mind-boggling and fun to play. Probably the best educational game I have played. You enjoy time with your friends making allies, enemies, and neutralities. The best part is your parents can't complain because it's educational and you watch TV and other things that parents which there children would abide by.

Can you say DIPLOMACY?
This game goes right along with Axis and Allies, Battle Cry, Risk, History of the World, Illuminati, Machiavelli, and all those other popular war games that are so fun. The cool thing about this game is that you do not use dice, counters, or anything to determine the result of the game. It all depends on lying and cheating on people at the right time and strategizing your moves correctly. It takes place during different seasons in the early 1900's when the "powder keg" of Europe had already exploded. If you are looking for a game that will last for hours and give you communication, and most importantly FUN, buy this game. You have nothing to lose. It is a great family game. I personally play the game in a club in my school. I learned how to convoy, support, and gain territory all thanks to the communication I had with my fellow peers.

The best game ever created... with a few pitfalls.
Diplomacy is the greatest game ever created, it's simple and complex at the same time. From the first time that i played diplomacy I was hooked. Diplomacy has two big disadvantages. Firstly it can be hard to get seven people together to play, secondly games can last hours, MANY hours. I can remember games that went on for five or six hours that were no closer to an ending. Besides this pitfall diplomacy is probably the best game ever made.

The Best ever
The best game for backstabbing plotting and raising a total havic. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The aMAZEing Labyrinth uses a clever board design to create aseries of ever-changing mazes that one to four players must movethrough. The object of the game is for each player to collect asquickly as possible all seven treasures depicted on their individualtreasure cards. To add to the challenge, players know what the nexttreasure is only after they find the one before it. Before each turn, amaze card is pushed into the maze in a strategic place, helping theplayer make his or her way to the prize. This means that the entiremaze shifts and changes on each turn, confounding some and helpingothers. Players will need to think ahead to choose just the right spotto shift the maze in their favor. This is an excellent game to get lostin. A simpler version can be played by younger children. --LeeStrucker ... Read more

Reviews (4)

If you loved Settler¿s of Catan this a ¿must¿!
Most people come to this game after they have already been introduced to the European Designer Games by Settlers of Catan. This is a different kind of game than Settlers but in some senses it shares a lot of commonalities.

The game is easy to learn for a wide audience, it is reasonably quick to play (30 - 40 minutes) and is a very "immersive" game i.e. there aren't long periods of boredom. There are elements of strategy and luck, which makes for a "fun" game experience.

This game is fun for children and adults. For children the "farmers" are a little too complex, but the game works very well without that element.

The game consists of laying tiles to build cities, roads and monasteries in the South of France. Points are gained by creating long roads, building large cities or farming multiple farms. It draws elements of building jigsaw puzzles together with a strategy game of competing for territory.
I have played this game with family members who aren't really into board games and they enjoyed it just as much as gamers.

There are many expansions to this game which add a few more dimensions as you get more advanced. There is a very high replay-ability.

I would high recommend this game to people who are bored with standard Monopoly or Cranium type board games that are popular in the US.

If you loved Settler's of Catan this a "must"!

Summary:
General
o 2 - 5 Players
o 30 - 40 minutes Playing time
Audience -
o Children & Adults
o Serious and Casual Gamers
Format
o Tile Laying
o Combines Strategy & Luck
Longevity
o High Replay-ability
o Quality Components

Strategy, planning, and resource management!
This is a great game of kingdom building that is easy to learn and very fun to play. The games are relatively short (30 to 45 minutes)so it doesn't take an entire evening, either.

Players take turns drawing land tiles and placing them on the board. Tiles have various structures (e.g. roads, cities, fields) on them that need to be matched up for proper placement. You can't have a road end in an open field, it must be attached to another road.

Each player has a number of followers to dispatch throughout the kingdom. They can be placed on roads (to become thieves), cities (to become knights), monistaries (to become monks), or fields (to become farmers). Once a structure is completed (roads have two ending points or intersections, cities are completely walled in, etc.) the player scores points for his follower and may remove to follower from the board to place him on a subsequent round.

This game is a good way to learn resource management. If you place all of your followers you won't have any in reserve for a prime opportunity, should it arise later. Is it better to get quick points with roads or small cities, or try to keep extending the roads and cities for greater scores? There are many strategies to consider and options to contemplate. Yet, this game is easy to learn in a few minutes. And since the players place the board pieces there are no two game boards alike.

My friends and I have had hours of entertainment from this game. I highly recommend it!

Carcassonne - the best game in years
Carcassonne is the best strategy-based board game I've ever played. It's actually composed of about a hundred square tiles featuring roads, cities, farmland, and cloisters. Deploy your small number of settlers to take over each of these features, scoring points for their completion. Score points for your farmers and all your incomplete roads, cities, and cloisters in the end.

The game works great for two players as well as the maximum 5 players (six with the first expansion) or anywhere in between. The games are varied every time I've played (about 30-40 times so far).

This game is the most addicting game I've played since Magic: the Gathering was released 10 years ago. Try it and soon you will be scrambling to purchase the two available expansions - one with Big Settlers and new tiles and one with Builders & Traders.

The average rating for the durability is a result of the cardboard tiles. If you play a game enough times you'll likely wear out anything made of cardboard over time.

a really fun, easy game
i first played this game a few months ago. 10 minutes into the game, i was hooked! the concept is simple -- earn points by completing cities, roads, and cloisters, and deploying farmers. figuring out the best tile placement is tricky, but fun. the competition is fun, but not too intense. even my 10-year old daughter plays this, and likes it. if we want a "quick" game, we leave out the "farmer" aspect -- makes for a quicker, easier, but still very fun game. the tiles themselves are just beautiful -- the artwork is gorgeous. the player pieces are great -- wooden man figures that are a nice size -- substantial, and the fact that they are person-shaped and not just a block square, adds to the fun. i'd play this game several times a day if i could-- it really is that much fun. :) ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Another great version of Monopoly
For a person like me who is a Lord of the Rings fan and a Monopoly fan, this is a great game. The rules are the same, so it isn't difficult to play. It also has the great variation with the ring, which serves two purposes to me. 1. It creates a fun twist and 2. It is a gauge of how long the game will go. Monopoly is notorious for lasting for an eternity. A must for all Lord of the Rings and Monopoly lovers.

A great way to get into Monopoly if you're a Tolkien fan
I had not played Monopoly for years and honestly believed that I didn't like it until I received this edition as a present. As a Tolkien fanatic, I got easily into "The Lord of the Rings" theme of the set and started immensely enjoying playing Monopoly. The Tolkien backdrop gives the game a colorful dimension. If you're a Monopoly player and Tolkien fan, this game is an obvious must-have. However, Tolkien readers (or anybody who enjoyed the recent films) who aren't much into Monopoly or have never played it will find this is a great way to discover this classic board game.

The play is almost unchanged from regular Monopoly: roll the dice and advance your tokens (in this case, metal figurines of Fordo, Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimili, Legolas, and Galadriel) around the board, buying up "territories" (instead of "properties") and charging rent from the other players to try to bankrupt them. Instead of money, this edition uses "power," but the values are exactly the same: for instance, each time you pas GO, you collect 200 power, just as you would collect $200 in the regular game.

Almost all the spaces are changed to fit the world of Middle-Earth. The territories are locations along the journey of the Fellowship. Park Place and Boardwalk are now Bard-dûr (The Dark Tower) and Mount Doom. The red properties are now Gap of Rohan, Helm's Deep, and Edoras. The four railroads are horses: Bill the Pony, Shadowfax, Brego, and Asfaloth. The two utilities are the Wizard's Staffs. Luxury Tax is Shelob's Lair. Income Tax (the bane of all players!) is now "Seen by the Palantír." The Community Chest cards and Chance cards are changed to "Events" and "People." An example of a typical card: "Winged nazgûl attack! Lose 150 power." The houses and hotels you build on properties are now fortresses and strongholds. The white plastic stronghold miniatures look quite impressive on the board!

Strangely, the four corner spaces on the board look exactly the same as in the regular edition: GO, Jail, Free Parking, and Go to Jail. This is odd, since pictures of a car and a policeman clash with the theme of the set. This is really the only flaw in the game presentation.

There is a special "Lord of the Rings" variation you can play if you want a quicker game with an interesting twist. One of the dice has an Eye of Sauron on it instead of a one-spot. When playing the variation, every time the eye pops up on a roll, a special One Ring icon moves one territory around the board. When the Ring reaches the last territory (Mount Doom), the game ends and the player with the most power wins. If a player lands on a territory where the ring is sitting, he/she either gets the territory for free if no one owns it, or else owes the owner TWICE the amount of rent they normally would. This is a fun way to throw variety into the game, but ignore it if you want to play a full-length game.

Parker Brothers has made many Monopoly special editions, but this is the one that got me back into the game, and if you love "The Lord of the Rings" (movie or book), I guarantee it will pull you in too. Just be cautious that you don't start pawing the other players' money and croaking "My precioussss! Givessss us power so we can liftses the mortgage, my precioussss!"

Nice twist!
I hated Monopoly growing up because it took so long to play, and I almost always lost. However, this new collectors edition gives people like myself a fighting chance! Since the movies have come out, and having read the 4 books (the Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy), I have turned into a LOTR fanatic! I received "Monopoly - The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition" as a birthday gift. Within the first 3 weeks of getting it, my wife and I played 18 out of 21 nights! I love the changes that were added.

The most exciting twist is the addition of the "one ring". This either allows you to get property for free or pay double the rent. It also makes it's way around the board, journeying closer to Mt. Doom (which replaces Boardwalk as the last space). Once the ring reaches Mt. Doom, the game is over. No more 4-hour games! I also enjoy the fact that the properties have been replaced by sites from the story-line. You also can aquire steeds instead of railroads and wizard staffs instead of utilities.

Over all, this has been the most fun I've ever had playing Monopoly. Definitely recommend it for Monopoly and LOTR enthusiasts alike!

Educational value
Monopoly is a great way for kids to learn about money (counting money, giving change, buying, and selling). This edition is of particularly high interest to middle school and junior school aged children. This would make a great gift for any student who loves the Lord of the Rings and is struggling in math.

A Fine Twist
I love monopoly. It is one of my favorite games. It has a lot of strategy and luck. Lord of the Rings is another thing that a like. Put these 2 things together and you get one of the best games ever. It is quite a twist. Along with this I would also recommend The Lord of the Rings: Risk. As in Monopoly a twist with the lord of the rings is just what any strategic game needs! ... Read more

Editorial Review

You'll keep looking over your shoulder while playing the Spy Alley Game. A little bit of paranoia helps in this business, what with secret agents from all over the world following you around the board as you try to pick up clues to their identity and keep your own well hidden. Use your tokens, play money, cards, and scoreboards to try to complete your own mission and force your opponents to give up valuable information--but watch out for the fabled Alley, which might lead to untold dangers (or, maybe, the lucky break you need to win the game!).Up to six players can vie for world domination in this suspenseful-until-the-last-minute game. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Edge Of Your Seat Fun!
From the first moment my family opened the box, to this very day, we still get the same feelings of excitement, escapism and suspense when ever we play Spy Alley.

Each player becomes a spy by drawing a spy identification card and assume that identity. They then try to uncover their opponents' identity while trying to keep their own identity a secret. Your mission is to collect the required codebooks, keys, passwords and disguises and make it to your embassy in Spy Alley without being detected or to remain the last spy to retain their identity. It's a simple game with lots of twists, but suprisingly intense. There is a bit of chance with the roll of a die, but there is also plenty of strategy! To throw people off your trail, you can acquire items from the other nationalities, you try to anticipate how the other spies will use their move cards and free gift cards, you also have to know when to risk going down Spy Alley and the possibility of being exposed! Watch your body language, it can give you away! It's exhilirating to experience the thrill of hunting and the paranoia of being the hunted! Spy Alley will bring out some interesting sides of family and friends. Among the many benefits of this game, it has helped sharpen our thirteen year old's reasoning skills. She has also developed quite an ability to bluff!

The strategies are endless and it's a game that never gets old. I recommend playing with three or more players. It's a great family game and, without question, Spy Alley is a game that would put even the great James Bond on the edge of his seat!

Great Family Mystery Game
This is a perfect game that you can enjoy with the whole family! It is very fun and great for little ones too! I own this game, and my family enjoys it very much. This is a great mystery game where you spy to find out each pearson's idenity. I love this game and I think you would too!

good for grown-ups, too
My husband and I enjoyed this game. Even though it was just the two of us playing, there was enough suspense and variety to keep us interested. I'm looking forward to the next family gathering, because playing with a group would provide even more variation and fun. It's also easy to play the first time yet offers strategic advantages to veteran players.

BEST GAME IN A LONG TIME
WE LOVE THIS GAME. IT IS GREAT FOR TWO OR MORE AND THE 10 AND 12 YEAR OLD ARE ALREADY RE-WRITING THE RULES TO MAKE IT FUNNER.
WE HAVE FOUND THAT IF SOMEONE IS KICKED OUT OF THE GAME - IT IS FUNNER TO HAVE HIM OR HER START OVER. WE ALSO DECIDED THAT IF THAT HAPPENS THAT EVERYONE GETS A NEW IDENTITY. IT CHANGES THE WAY YOU BUY THINGS. ALSO WE HAVE MADE THE "MOVE" CARDS FOR FORWARD AND BACKWARDS. OBVIOULSY WE PLAY THIS GAME A LOT AND THAT IS WHY WE ARE SPICING THINGS UP A BIT. BUT IT IS GREAT AND A DURABLE GAME.

WOW!
This is my favorite game in the world! You can pretend your a spy. And it teaches kids to be sneaky. And, oh yeah, it teaches kids how to spend their money wisely! Buy it NOW! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT! :) ... Read more

Reviews (5)

why do Monopoly if there is a Settlers....
This game is amazing. Every player stays tight in the game till the last second the winner comes out. The winner is struggling as hard as the rest of the losers during the entire game. Everyone trade with everyone else. Unlike Monopoly which the winner takes all, this game shows you how important to trade with each other to win the game. Luck is only a third of reason to win the game, the other two thirds is the stratigy. My wife and I get together with another couple everyweek and all of us are having so much fun with it, we might as well donate all other boardgames we have.

Represent One of the Tribes and Build the Temple
Another great addition to the Settlers of Catan family of games. Many players will only be familiar with the original Settlers of Catan and some of its expansions where the board is made up of hexagonal tiles that change with each play of the game. But this one is much closer to the Historical Scenario Catan sets (particularly The Great Pyramid and The Great Wall).

Players settle areas of a map and begin gathering resources from their surrounding lands. Resources are used to expand by building roads and other settlements as well as improving existing settlements.

Each player represents one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and is trying to become the most successful tribe. This is done in two ways. One is by expanding as mentioned above. The other is by contributing to the building of the Great Temple. The raider/robber/barbarians have been replaced by the more biblical plagues (you need priests to stop these instead of the original knights).

Fun play and a good scenario make this a great game. It is a pleasure to find such an entertaining game set in the Old Testament.

Fantastic Game
My brother-in-law played it at a friend's house, and then he bought a copy. My wife and I were over once and played it and we became hooked just like him. So now we bought it and are playing it with our friends.

It's an intelligent game, where knowing arcane facts and being able to draw with your eyes closed won't help you any. You have to plan, negotiate, and see what your opponents are doing. The intital curve is rough, but I think it's much easier to explain game as it goes on than to expect someone to absorb it all at once.

The game says it's for 2-4 players, but the two-player game isn't all that great -- the rules need a little tweaking there. You also need a big table to keep all the cards, etc. The pieces are small and could be easily lost (especially the roads). But, hey, it's an adult game, not for the kids.

As far as the Christian theme . . . yeah, it's great and accurate, but it doesn't take away from the gameplay at all.

I think this is a perfect game for family game night if your children are older (junior high on up). It's also a great after-dinner game when friends are over.

Our favorite game!
This is part Risk, Monopoly, but so much better. We never tire of playing Settlers and have enjoyed many pleasurable "game nights" with our adult friends over this game. The goal is to expand and enrich your settlements via roads, settlements, cities and ports. You do so by collecting and trading resource cards. There are several wild cards built into the game that keep it from becoming predictable. This game can last hours and the initial learning curve is somewhat high, but it's easy enough to explain to others once you get the hang of it. This a very interesting game, and I highly recommend it.

A modern classic game, recast in the Holy Land
I have enjoyed Settlers of Cataan for many years, and when I became Youth Minister at my church, one of the first things I bought was this game. It is much like the originial Settlers of Cataan series, but is set in Biblical Israel. Consequently, the development cards are scripturally themed, and instead of having a robber steal cards, a plague (which can be sent away by priests) blocks other players' resouces.
Although it can seem difficult to learn at first, it is actually easy to pick up once you begin playing, as it is a very intuitive game. Now that the youth group knows how to play, we can usually play a game in about an hour, or a little more. A minor drawback is that it only has pieces for four players, but the board is large enough to accomdate more, so if you are up to making or improvising more pieces, five or six (or possibly more) can play.
For those already familar with the Settlers series, this game has a large fixed board, with the five familiar resources and all the old harbour types, as well as one space representing a copper mine (much like the gold mines of Seafarers) that produces any resource the owner desires. There are more types of development cards, and players can also gain victory points by building stones for Jerusalem (for one brick and one ore), thus contributing to Solomon's temple. Whoever adds the most stones gets two extra victory points and can trade one resource at 2:1 (as at a specialty harbour). To make up for this extra source of victory points, the game is played to twelve points instead of ten.
If you already own Settlers, this game does not have much new, but it is still fun and a nice activity for church groups. If you do not own any form of Settlers, but enjoy building games with a nice social aspect, this is a great game for you. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Quick game and a lot of fun
I bought this for my six year old daughter. We have a lot of fun playing it. You pick who you want to be and have cards that have missing items. The items are on pieces that are scattered, upside down, throughout Strawbery Land. What's great is a)it's a memory game, b)it's a quick game, c)for the parents, it doesn't require constant checking of directions or helping with reading (very helpful after a long day of work and school when you want a game where you can just have fun and relax!) Def a good game for the young girl's age group.

A Winner
My daughter received this for her 5th birthday and she absolutely loves it. It combines the classic board and memory games together. The pieces are made of very thick cardboard and are very durable. The only small complaint is the spinner which tends to get stuck easily. We have played this game multiple times each day since received and she is still excited everytime we open the box. An excellent game!!!

Lots of fun and not too complicated!
My daughter received this game as a gift for her 5th birthday and we play it all the time. It is not so complicated that it is hard for a child to learn how to play but moves quickly enough that adults don't get bored playing it with little ones. And the illustrations are adorable! It's good family fun. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Good Family Game
We gave this to our daughter last Christmas. She's 9. It's one of the first games she wants to play on game nights. She's a good student, but not a genius by any means, yet still wins this game more often than her parents. She gets just the right mix of learning & play to make this a favorite game.

Great Game
Bought this for my 7 year old proto-astronaut... she loves it, she learns from it, and thanks to her lucky dice rolling, she usually beats me. Great game for kids interested in space/astronomy.

What a ball!
Finally, here's a great family game that parents really can play with our kids--just enough luck and different levels of play to make it fun and exciting for everyone. Our oldest son plays on the top level (he knows all the questions by heart already) and my husband and I play on the middle level, while our two youngest play the non-question version (though our daughter is picking up a lot just by listening). The game isn't hard to learn and doesn't take too long. I wish there were more questions, but perhaps a booster box will come out soon.

This is a wonderful game that challenges the whole family.
It's best when we play as a whole family. This is a game that challenges all of us, including DAD!

A challenging fun way to learn about space
My kids (9 yo boy and 11 yo girl) pulled this game off the shelf this summer and played it for 3 days in a row! With the varied levels of challenge, the whole family can play, and at the same time learn tons of facts about the exciting field of space exploration. The kids were answering questions better than I was! A creative way to educate, the kids and I give it a 2 thumbs up! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great for Adults too!
My parents brought this game to a family weekend - and we played it all weekend! The adults loved it, the kids loved it, and we could all play it together. Was interesting to see who identifies the patterns vs colors vs numbers, but the main thing was that we all had fun. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Masterful Game of Fighting Sail
Front Porch Classics produces the highest quality family game entertainments anywhere, and this game is an outstanding example of their craft. Exquisite game pieces, a cloth 'map' game surface, wooden dice and the wood-cased hourglass are all presented in an exceptionally handsome wooden chest; all of which would be reason enough to acquire this game. Yet it is the game play itself that also captures the imagination and the feel of the 'age of fighting sail.' Just take a look at the rules for yourself on their frontporchclassics.com website (where you can click through to the "Master and Commander" page and download the rules in PDF format). This is a game that has not only the highest quality in game components but a high replay factor as well. It plays as good as it looks. My highest recommendation. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

You Haven't Played This? Why Not???
Even if you have no idea what a German game is, or why a name like Reiner Knizia is important, this is a great, original and fun game. If you think this is just another attempt to make money from the cash cow that Tolkien's works have become, you're dead wrong.

Even if you're already a boardgaming veteran you've probably not seen mechanics like this very often. Instead of competing against each other, players must cooperate as the Fellowship to destroy the one ring before Sauron destroys them all. Sometime this means a player must sacrifice him/herself for the benefit of everyone in the game. Amazingly, it works and even players who get eliminated feel as if they contributed to something worthwhile (and in many cases stay very focused on the outcome of the game, as they have a vested interest in seeing the Fellowship survive). The game is even fun with two players - but be warned that the difficulty ramps up quite a bit when the Fellowship is so small.

The components are impressive and are endowed with the great John Howe's artwork. There are no movie images to be found here - which may depress or delight you, but it does add to the sense that this game holds its own without needing to resort to pandering.

Does the game have any educational value? Hmmmm...I dunno about that one. I suppose it could encourage older kids to value cooperation a bit more than they usually do, and any kid who hasn't been enthralled by Tolkien's work might have a nice introduction with this game, but the ultimate goal here is to have a good time - not necessarily to educate.

As close to the book as you can get.
If you are a Lord of the Rings purest who objected to the movies this game is for you.

This game faithfully follows the books forcing you to team up to face the Dark Lord and destroy the ring.

A VERY hard game to beat, so hard that a special sheet is included to fill out if you win (our group has only managed to do it once)

As you face the dangers of your trek the ring slowly corrupts you and Sauron gets closer and closer most likely not all the hobbits who leave the Shire will make it to Moria alive.

It is hard to review this game since I purchased the Expansions with it at the same time so I haven't played it without them. The Expansions add so much to the game they should be purchased at once, however even without them this game stands up on its own quite well and the artwork is superb!

Worth your time and money but don't lose your temper when it takes you months to win.

Cooperative solitaire with lovely art and a classic theme.
In LotR, the board game, Kniza has done a masterful job of creating a form of team-solitaire. The many players compete not against each other, but against the game itself. Luck, familiarity, planning, and team communication are all important.

The game is difficult: while "winning" is defined in the game, it's far more common to come close but sputter out most of the way to the finish line. (At this point, you record how far you made it on the provided roster and try again!)

There are a couple problems with the game: First, while the rules are simple, the rulebook is easy to misread in a few places. If it seems like the game is too easy or too hard, you've probably misread one of the rules. The other problem is that one player who knows the game much better than the rest can get frustrated. There's nothing to stop an expert at the game from bossing around neophyte teammates. If the neophytes want to win, they'd do well to heed the expert's advice, even. The 'Sauron' expansion set fixes this problem.

On the whole, this is a good game. The production values are excellent, with beautiful art and pleasing props. The rules are simple enough to teach a youngster, yet the game is challenging enough to intrigue an adult. A good addition to any game-player's library.

A fantastic group game... challenging and loads of fun.
I almost didn't give it 5 stars. Why didn't I? Bitterness. Yes, I'm bitter because my wife and I have attempted the two player game as Frodo and Sam FIVE times and have NOT yet won once!! (I'm AM grinning as I write this, in case you're wondering...)

It's okay. I'll get over it. It may be tough for two players... but it's still fun to lose the game WITH my wife, rather that try to compete against her. We HAVE, however, successfully destroyed the One Ring in three, four, and five player games. It's really a neat experience to play a game in which a group has to cooperate with each other in order to win TOGETHER rather than compete in order to... well... destroy everyone else.

This game combines many elements of group strategy with some elements of luck (i.e. mostly in wondering which tile you're about to turn over). It really seems to capture a bit of the feeling that Sam and Frodo must have felt as they struggled to Mordor. (My wife and I felt it today as the game pummeled us relentlessly... talk about bad luck in this case. Whew.)

Grab a group of four or five friends - a larger group is better since each player/Hobbit has a special "ability" to add to the group/Fellowship. Be patient, plan carefully, talk about strategies, and just have a great time.

Good cooperative fun with a strong theme
There are plenty of good games out there, and some cooperative ones, but good cooperative games that don't take forever to play are hard to come by. This is one.

I've seen complaints that the rules are hard to understand. I'd like to clarify that a little. If you just open up the rules and read them by themselves, they ARE hard to understand. That's okay. Just follow the setup instructions at the front of the rulebook first. THEN read the rules, looking often at the board & other components, and it all starts to make sense; in fact, virtually everything about the game is very cleverly designed. The only question that I haven't yet found an answer to is when, exactly, the event tiles are supposed to be reshuffled (I think after each location is complete is probably the best time, but it could be that you're supposed to wait until they run out; I'm just not sure).

The basic ideas aren't that difficult. On your turn, you turn up tiles until you get a good one (suffering the consequences of the bad along the way) and then you either play one or two cards to advance the group, or you recover by drawing two cards or healing yourself one space on the Corruption track (as the game progresses, the Hobbits and Sauron advance toward each other on this track, and if a Hobbit and Sauron meet, the Hobbit dies). There are four location boards: Moria, Helm's Deep, Shelob's Lair, and Mordor, each with several tracks; on each board, one of the tracks is the "main" track, and you advance to the next when it is complete - or when time runs out, with nasty consequences ranging from the moderately bad "Fly, you fools" in Moria to "The Ring is MINE!" in Mordor, ending the game as Sauron recovers the Ring. That said, there are great benefits to advancing the secondary tracks as well; if you concentrate solely on the main one, you'll never make it TO Mordor, let alone through it.

At every turn, there are meaningful decisions to be made. Adding to the tension, you never know how much time you have to achieve important results (such as obtaining Eowyn's help before the Lord of the Nazgul arrives - which, by the way, is very hard to do - or getting the Riders of Rohan to reinforce Helm's Deep before it is too late). You can go from being in good condition to in deep trouble in a heartbeat with a few bad tile draws, and that goes double in Mordor. You also need to actively cooperate with the other Hobbits, or you may find yourself half way to Mordor and all your friends have expired, leaving you too weak to get to Mount Doom and dunk the ring. Particularly, make sure you DON'T take all of one type of life token, because anyone who is missing a certain type at the end of a location board moves toward Sauron on the Corruption track. There are also many opportunities for a player to make a sacrifice to prevent something bad from happening to the entire group.

The game has three built-in difficulty levels (you just start Sauron in a different space on the Corruption track, to give you more or less leeway), and the difficulty also varies depending on the number of players. I suspect three, four, and five are probably not dramatically different in difficulty, but I got the distinct impression that the game is much more difficult with only two. There is also a competitive variant, but a lot of cooperation is still required.

Although the box says the game is intended for players 12 and up, I think that with a well-behaved player to lead (in other words, one who won't just order the others around but will actively involve them in the decision making; you might want to play with all cards face up instead of hidden as the rules say), younger children could easily play and have fun, IF they are prepared to cooperate. I played tonight with my (very smart) four year old daughter, and although she certainly didn't understand everything that was going on, she had the basic ideas down and volunteered to take just about every hit imaginable to help. She also LOVED rolling the die (which is a punishment of sorts - you roll to see just what bad thing befalls you in many situations; you may take one to three points of damage, advance Sauron one space, discard two cards, or nothing), so it was fortunate she drew Sam, as each Hobbit has a special ability and Sam's is that he never suffers more than one point of damage from a die roll. We ended up one space from Mount Doom when Sauron seized the ring, and we had a great time. As an added bonus, she asked a ton of questions about the background, from why we were trying to destroy the ring to why Sauron was so powerful (I've rated it up for educational because it has sparked my daughter's interest in the books; I'm pretty sure that as soon as she's able, she'll want to read them).

I highly recommend the game. It's not only a very good game, but the theme ties in very well. It's not just a random game with a theme pasted on - there was a lot of thought given to the events, like the final event in Moria called "Fly, you fools!" where one player can take a big hit (three points of damage) or everyone can roll the die and suffer the consequences. It's pretty much a no-brainer to decide that SOMEBODY should take the three hits (except with only two players, where it is arguable), but who will volunteer? That's just one of the ways the game makes the players put the overall quest above themselves - even if your Hobbit dies, you still win with everybody else if the ring is destroyed. ... Read more