Game Review: Ponte del Diavolo

Now any game that has a literal translation of “Bridge of the Devil” is a good game in my books. And it just so happens, that this is not only a good game, but a fantastic game.

A abstract game for 2 people, by Rio Grande games (again, is there no end of good games by these?) which can be liked to chess with less pieces.

The game board is a 10x10 board, and there are three pieces in the game, light coloured tiles, dark coloured tiles and bridge pieces.

Players take turns placing 2 of their chosen colour pieces at a time. The idea of the game is to make blocks of 4 tiles, called “islands”, and link them together using the bridge pieces. You can lay pieces that have 1, 2 or 3 blocks, but these are non scoring in the final part. Islands cannot have any of your colour blocks around them, there must be a clear space between a island and other blocks of your colour, however opponents pieces may touch these.

No blocks may be place under a bridge after it has been places, so this makes these not only scoring pieces, but also great blocking pieces.

That is pretty much all there is to the rules of this game. At first look, it seems pretty simple, place tiles until you have no more then score up. After the first play however, it quickly emerges that there is a much deeper level of strategy to this game. A experienced player should always beat a less experienced player, just like in chess. There is the chance that this may not happen, but as this game is simpler than chess, it will not take long for someone to grasp a understanding of this game.

This game is a reworking of the game Twixt, by Alex Randolph (1922 – 2004). It is a very good adaptation, and worth of your shelf space. Games take around 15-20 minutes, so a great filler game, but can also easily take up a whole evening of great gaming.

Another recommended game that can be found quite cheap here in the UK.

Game Review: If Wishes Were Fishes

Another Rio Grande game, but is this one any good? In the UK there went a phase where this game could be purchased from a certain chain of discount bookshops for just 7.99, which is a huge discount on a game that would normally retail around the 19.99 mark.

You play as a fisherman, catching fish and selling them at the market to make money. The person with the most money at the end wins. The game mechanics are really simple, but when put together they create a game that can be quite deep.

The fish are put on the table 4 at a time, showing fish in shallow water going into deeper waters. To catch a fish, you have to put bait on each of the fish cards until you reach the fish that you want to catch. You then take that card, and have a choice. You can put it in your boat, which means you can then sell it on the market, or use the wish that the fish can grant you. These wishes range from moving people around the market, doubling the amount of fish you can sell, or giving you another boat. Some of these wishes are powerful, and will send everyone dashing for them.

Then there is the market itself. You choose what fish you want to sell, and sell them. The price you get depends on how many people there are at the particular stall, and this can be manipulated by using the fishes wishes. Needless to say, this part can get quite involved, as you push to manipulate the market to get what you want, whilst trying to bluff (or just deal with) your opponents.

The artwork in this game is fantastic and whimsical. Not realistic at all, my favorite is the catfish, which looks, well like a cat. This makes it a lot easier to see what is actually on the board, and what you should be doing next.

This is a fantastic game for everyone, and I can see the appeal to families with this one. The rules are simple enough that children will understand, and deep enough to keep the adults entertained. We highly recommend this game, as do we recommend most Rio Grande games.

Game Review: Dawn Under

I have been meaning to review this for a while now, but every time I get this out to look at it in a reviewers eye, I end up playing it for hours and then forget to review it. Yes, I enjoy this game immensely. Here’s why.

It is a very simple memory game. No scoring, no calculations, no difficult choices. But lots of fun. The story behind the game is that in the false dawn before sunrise, all the vampires scramble to find a resting place for the day. This is where you come in. You need to flip over the graves on the game board, and if the colour under the lid matches one of your active vampires, then you place him/her in the grave and replace the lid. Sounds simple? Well, for the mechanics, there are two other rules, and that’s it. But the challenge in this game is immense, and ramps up even more with 3+ players. For if you uncover an grave that’s already filled, you get a stake. Get 3, and you get 2 vampires from every other player, that you then have to place in to a grave. This just gets mean towards the end game, and can actually help you win.

The other, optional rules that can be used are garlic and rats. Each player gets 3 garlic tokens, and can play these if they uncover a empty grave but cannot place a vampire down. If uncovered, even by same player that placed it, every player gives you 2 vampires. The other rule is a rat. If you uncover a rat, you can uncover every grave adjacent to the one with the rat, one at a time, if you wish. You don't have to, and can stop at any time.

So that basically are the rules: You flip a grave, place a vampire, and flip another. Or get a stake, or other vampires.

But that’s the fun of this game. At first glance, it looks simple and unchallenging, just a “kids game” is one response that I had once. Then the same person wanted to play again and again. Its quite addictive this game, and with a short set up time and short games, is a great filler and regularly hits the table whilst we are waiting for people to show up for larger games.

The game comes with a wonderful board and thick, chunky tiles. This a game meant to last, and will stand up to even a group of over excited 5 years old's quite easily. This game has its feet squarely plated in the family market yes, but is great fun with a group of adults.

It is not without its shortcomings however. I just wish it was a bit deeper, a few more rules, not just turn a tile and move on. Towards the end of the game, it can be quite difficult to find a grave without something in it, and tiles swap hands fast, but then the game changes to try and win that way, bluffing people to pick tiles with vampires already buried, to try and whittle your hand size down.

But these bad points are only evident after a few games, and if its a filler game, then you wont play more than a few games in one sitting before moving on to the main event.

Another highly recommended collection game, as this both sits in the kids entertainment as-well as adults entertainment.

Score 8/10