TheKeeper

A favorite family game and a GREAT game to introduce “non-gamers” to the wonders of boardgaming. Simply put – this is a GREAT introductory game that you will bring to the table when you want to introduce kids or grandparents to the wonders of gaming outside Monopoly, Dominoes and Uno AND you will return to it with your more serious gamer friends when you’re looking for a light filler game where you can visit AND game while waiting for the latecomers in your group before starting a more serious game from your library. This game is enjoyed by gamers of ALL ages and by gamers of ALL styles except for those few who feel that if no characters are killed in a game then it’s not worth playing. It is a “must-have” for any gamers library.

The gameplay is like many euro-style worker placement games but the theme and the artwork, components, interaction and play style set it above many veteran “euro-games”. It might seem odd to go on about a games box and insert but enough has been said about how good the game is – it is a GREAT and FUN game to play with a group of gamers – and there cannot be enough good things said about the box and insert. They stand out in this crowded marketplace. How many times has a great game been packaged in a less than stellar package? The quality of the box or insert is low (though the artwork might be exceptional) and therefore the game feels cheap and gamers put it aside as such. THIS box is “interestingly” designed in that the box bottom cannot be fitted into the box top upon opening (my only complaint – and it is a MINOR complaint) but the design is still eye-catching and interesting. The game’s insert, however, deserves an award for whoever designed it. Absolutely EVERYTHING has its place and it is EASY to acces ALL the beautiful components because of the inserts peerless design. It has NO comparisons among any games manufactured and has no peers as far as this gamer has found. It is, in a word, “incomparable”.

The interaction between players is fun and cut throat and the game scales well with different numbers of players. The character cards play well off each other and their varying effects lead to interesting confrontations between the pirates. The art is beautiful and the components are sturdy and well-made. After you play this game once – you’ll probably want to set it up to play another game immediately after.

A fun, light game with a surprising amount of depth when choosing what you want the garden, weather, gardener or panda to do each turn. There is a bit of random play with card draws (but you can always draw more) but all in all YOU decide how you want to play each game. It is a favorite with my family (9 and 13 year old boys and my wife). When demoed at a local Gaming Convention (www.mepacon.com) it also draws in more serious gamers to try it out. The pastel colors were a bit of a turn-off to me initially but the art style and all the components are TOP notch with two painted plastic miniatures (panda and gardener) that ALL players can move and thick tiles and wooden pieces as well.