Travel back to the dawn of mankind in this latest installment of the seemingly endless Settlers of Catan series.

Pushing papers in a government bureaucracy has never been so much fun!  This limited edition release from Bewitched Games is quite fun and challenging.

Age of Steam is an outstanding game, one which is very tightly organized and requires precision play.

Designer Martin Wallace takes the system pioneered in Lancashire Rails and Volldampf to new heights with this excellent rail building and shipping game.

The game is pleasant enough, but there is nothing here about which to get terribly excited.  It is yet another area control game, a genre of which I am quite fond.  However, Agora Barcelona doesn’t add much, if anything, to the field of work. 

Herr Knizia revisits the land of ancient Egypt in this welcome return to his "meatier" side.

Similar in feel to Dirk Henn's Metro, Aqua Romana is one of the better games in the Queen line of games.

Set in a fantasy realm, the excitement is unfortunately lacking in this card game from M.E.K. Games.

Take a journey through a Middle-Eastern bazaar in this tense game of bartering for riches. 

A fast-paced game of scurrying pests out to eat your food.  While the game play isn't as revolting as this sounds, it still isn't very appetizing.

Big Kini is one of those pleasant, surprise gems that helps make Essen well-worth attending.  I honestly didn’t expect to be impressed … but I am.  In fact, it falls squarely in the top tier of games from the 2005 convention.  In a game that involves exploration and discovery, the best discovery was the game itself!

Head to the Big Top for a fun game of managing circus performers and collecting gate receipts.   

Travel back in time to the days prior to the medieval city of Carcassonne, when man was scurrying about in search of berries and wild beasts.

Luck does play a significant role, but there is more in Castle Merchants than initially meets the eye.

Wait a minute?  Is this Hasbro releasing a decent strategy game?  You bet!

Marrying some elements of Taj Mahal and Ohne Furcht und Adel, this Reiner Stockhausen release is quite the fantasy journey.

En Garde is a fun, fast and engaging two-player game that has stood the test of time, at least in terms of today's game market where games have a short shelf life.  It has been around since 1993, and hasn't lost any of its luster.  This new, more attractive version makes it even more appealing. 

Finstere Flure continues the story began in Fische, Fluppen & Frikadellen.  After finding the three fetishes, you rush to France to free the imprisoned fairy from the clutches of the evil Furst Fieso.  You must make your way through his sinister fortress and avoid his evil monster.  Run for your lives!

Friedemann Friese's fascinating, yet previously hard to obtain tile placement game is now back in print in a professional package from Plenary Games. 

Global Powers is NOT your average German-style game.  It actually bears much more in common with games released by American companies such as Avalon Hill.  The game is filled with negotiations, deal-making, voting and cut-throat actions.  Not exactly the “family friendly” atmosphere that most European games attempt to capture.  Indeed, even the opening sentence in the game’s description warns of its nature:  “A politically incorrect game including tactics, agitation …“

Globopolis provides us with a look into the world of the future.  Sadly, the gaming world still revolves around Monopoly. 

Mice in your attic!  Ravenous creatures race across the attic in pursuit of cheese in this entertaining game aimed squarely at children.

Possessing the potentially troubling theme of desecrating graves, Grave Robbers doens't offer players many options, much skill, or much excitement.  Sadly, Grave Robbers is destined for the grave yard.

The theme is rather bizarre: You and your opponents are engineers in Hades delivering

souls of the damned to their proper Circles of Hell.  As engineers, you have a wide variety of tasks assigned to you, including the building of the actual rail lines, the loading of these damned souls and the successful delivery of your cargo to the proper circles of Hell.  Players must be efficient, lest they incur the wrath of their infernal boss, who is notorious for his lack of mercy! 

Originally published in three foreign languages by Tilsit back in 2005, the late Paul Randles’ Key Largo has found renewed life with a new, revised edition released by Titanic Games. This spiffy new edition has received an artistic facelift, as well as some rules twists and modifications. The end result, however, is not much different from the original, which may be good news to some and disappointing to others.

Khronos is a fantastic first effort by designers Ludovic Vialla and Arnaud Urbon, and I look forward to further trips in their time machine.

Logistico is a mentally challenging game, requiring careful planning, good decisions and optimal coordination and execution.  It is another winner from the gaming Dutchman.

Explore the western wilderness in search of fabulous riches ... gold, that is!  This exploration game from Roland and Tobias Goslar has some drawbacks, but is still an entertaining romp.

It is yet another building competition for those palace-crazed, 17^th Century Italians.  Players compete to construct palaces, with more prestige being earned for multiple windows and for the correct color coordination.  Players can also contribute to the building of the city walls and towers, all in an effort to rise to a position of prominence in the town. 

Is this really a 2-hour version of Civilization?  Sadly, no ... but the game is worth playing anyway.

Megastar may fit just fine within a group that enjoys playing games such as Phase 10 or UNO.  It is light, quick, and doesn’t require much, if any thought.  For folks looking for games with a little more thought, strategy and control, I’d recommend changing the dial.

Sure, the theme may be off-putting to some, but do yourself a favor and get past it.  The game underneath the “cutesy” theme is quite good.

Set in the not-too-distant future, Metropolys casts players as architects are competing to build the tallest and most glamorous buildings in a rapidly growing city.  Players will attempt to manipulate matters in their favor so that they can construct their buildings in their preferred neighborhoods and meet their secret objectives.

Brother Adelmo is dead and foul play is suspected.  You are charged with the task of discovering which of the resident monks in this formerly quiet and peaceful abbey is responsible for this evil deed. 

Every so often a game is released that contains a mechanism that is so unique that it elicits a collective “Wow!” from most folks in the gaming community.  I’m always a bit skeptical to authoritatively declare such mechanisms as original creations since they might have been utilized in some obscure game released in the past of which I am completely unaware.  Be that as it may, I do feel that designers Alan Moon and Aaron Weissblum have invented such an original and thoroughly brilliant mechanism in their new release, New England.

Oregon is a fine light-to-middle weight game.  It offers players with an abundance of significant choices and strategies.  I’m happy to make the journey to the vast wilderness of 19^th century Oregon any time!  

Head to the seas in search of treasure and booty in this fun romp dripping with pirate atmosphere.

Travel back to the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, building the town before the eventual eruption of Mt. Vesuvius puts an end to this highly challening and entertaining game.

As you can surmise from the name, Powerboats deals with racing fast boats.  Fortunately, more than the type of object being raced is different, as the game does involve a clever system of adding and removing dice to regulate movement.  Is that alone enough to make the game substantially different from the dozens of other games in the genre, thereby making it worthwhile to keep?  Sadly, I don’t think so.

Can you defeat the evil Black Guard and rescue the Princess in this Avalon Hill release?

One of the most intriguing of Japon Brand's new offerings is R-ECO, a self-proclaimed card game of “recycling and ecology”.  R-ECO places players in the role of garbage collectors, and challenges them to efficiently dispose of the city’s waste.  Care must be exercised, however, as overloaded garbage trucks mean more trash on the streets.

While at first glance this appears to be a clever addition to the line of party games, there are too many gaps and poorly playtested aspects.

Set in a fantasy world (like a thousand other games!), Saga relives the struggle for power to control a kingdom in turmoil.  Kindoms change hands quickly, so proper planning and timing is required.

A game centered on the enchanting Italian hill town of San Gimignano was certainly a "must buy" for me.  But was the purchase worth it?

Based on the immensely popular Settlers of Catan, Inspiration Games' Settlers of Zarahemla integrates a theme based on the Mormon religion.

While playing on a medieval tapestry is a novel and clever idea, the combination of poor graphic design choices with the appearance of some system drawbacks has left me disappointed.

My biggest complaint against the game is that it simply isn't fun.  There is no excitement, no laughter, and very little interaction.  It fails as a party game at its very foundation.  Party games are supposed to be fun.  Such a Thing? is no such thing. 

The game never fails to elicit a variety of outbursts, and after each game, there is that inescapable feeling that you could have done better if you had just placed one tile differently, or if a desired tile had been called.  There is also a nagging urge to play it again, just one more time!

Ticket to Ride seems destined to be another Moon gem.  It seems to be an eclectic marriage of systems merged from Santa Fe, Union Pacific and TransAmerica.  Unlike most celebrity marriages, however, this one works … and will likely have considerable longevity. 

Step into the world of Versace, Gucci and the super models as you attempt to establish the latest trend in the world of high fashion.

Even if I ultimately do not enjoy the game itself, I am always delighted when I find a game that has an original mechanism.  When the game proves to be thoroughly engaging, challenging and tense, then it will likely be a big hit and become a personal favorite.  Vasco da Gama by designer Paolo Mori shows every sign of becoming just that – a personal favorite.

For folks who enjoy trick-taking games, Victory & Honor is simply superb.  It is quite likely the pinnacle of the genre.

Wayfinder is a decidedly abstract game with clever mechanisms.  However, it is not an easy game to learn or play well.