Tichu is probably the most popular traditional-looking cardgame among the hobby enthusiasts. The components couldn't be simpler: a traditional deck of cards (four suits that go from 2 to A) but with four specific jokers instead of the normal two. The company even adds a second deck of cards, as ...

One word best sums up King of Siam as a board game and as a design: Minimalist. It deals with the Thailand's (or Siam's) struggle to remain independent from Great Britain's colonialism, all the while the three main political factions of the land fight for dominance. The players themselves are ...

Colossal arena is one unusual game. It's a Reiner Knizia design, so you have the elegance and accuracy of his board games, but it's published by Fantasy Flight, which means lush art style and fantasy (or something else similarly geeky) theme. But here's the strange part: it makes sense! The ...

In the Year of the Dragon was released in Essen 2008 and proved to be quite a hit among the eurogame crowd, much like the Carcassonne board game was. The core of this board game is quite simple, player with the most victory points wins, and you get victory ...

Race for the galaxy was born during the development of the Puerto Rico card game (released a few years earlier, as San Juan). Tom Lehmann wanted to make something more complex out of the basic mechanisms of discarding cards for resources: a clever system that here is explored to its ...

Wyatt Earp surprised me a lot when I played it. It's a simple card game like tichu online in which players are sheriffs fighting to see who gets the most money by arresting notorious criminals. Instead of healthy cooperation in name of peace and public safety, we are a selfish ...

Maharaja surprised me quite a bit, the first time I played it. I knew few board games back then, and was amazed by the dynamic aspect of the design. The good looks of Phalanx's production didn't hurt either, and for a while this board game remained among my favorites. About ...

Neuland is an evil board game. And, in retribution to its sheer evilness, gamers everywhere have ignored it, even if it's a superb design and a joy to play (even if your tortured brain may not agree). This is by far the most difficult and brainburny board game I've ever played. ...

Ubongo is fast. It's pretty. It's completely lacking in strategy and (almost completely) in decisions. And it's fun. It's a riot. You should definitely give it a try, if you get the chance. There's supposedly a theme in this board game, somewhere (Ubongo meaning “head” or “brain” in swahili, or so ...

Chicago Express can fool you at first glance. The colorful cover, the nice components (wooden trains and action gauges on the board), the pretty map, it all looks like a splendid family game much in the vein of Ticket to Ride. That's wrong. Chicago Express is one mean, nasty and ...