Settlers of Catan became an instant world-wide classic when first published in 1995. It is a very smartly designed game for up to four players competing on who is going to settle an uninhabited island first.

The outstanding qualities of the game are its replayability, since it is played on a modular board which changes every time you play, and almost total lack of aggression between players in any form. Winning is accomplished by smart use of the five resources and clever trading with other players. It is an ultimate construction and trading game. While you can still choose to play somewhat dirty, there is no in-game mechanic pushing you to do so. Settlers of Catan quickly replaced Monopoly as the family game of choice at my gaming table.

The only negative with the original Settlers is that the box and the board are unnecessarily bulky, especially for such a relatively simple game. Luckily, there is a very handsome travel version available with pegged game pieces which is totally shake-and-shock proof. You can play it anywhere, in a plane, in a car, at the caffe and even on a windy beach. You won't be able to use any of the original game's numerous expansions, but this is such a small price to pay for such an ultimately portable yet universally fun family game.



