Days of Wonder | Ticket to Ride Europe | Board Game | Ages 8+ | 2-5 Players | Average Playtime 30-60 Minutes

I first fell in love with Days of Wonder's "Ticket to Ride Pocket" for iPhone. When I discovered there was a European version of the physical board game, I had to have it.Not only does this version of the game have the classic gameplay elements which made the original so enjoyable, but it also expands on them by adding new ones as well as the obvious new map, routes, etc.Ticket to Ride is all about conquest of the national rail systems. Your task is to connect a series of routes between cities marked on a set of "Route Cards" (distributed at the start of the game) by placing "wagons" (train car tokens)along the routes in question. You can only place your wagons along any segment of any route by "purchasing" that route segment with playing cards of varying colours. Each route segment requires a certain number of a certain colour of playing cards, and therefore your goal is to get the right numbers of the right colours of cards in order to place your wagons in the correct places and claim your routes.For each wagon placed you will receive a number of points. More wagons = more points. When your wagons connect from Point-A to Point-B, you've successfully completed your route and earn bonus points for doing so. When any one player has two wagons or fewer remaining in their inventory, the game ends. Any routes you failed to complete will not only forfeit your right to bonus points for that route, it will also subtract those points from your current score.You must therefore try to achieve as many points as you can and complete as many and/or the longest routes you can before the other players and before the end of the game.The rules can SEEM finicky to newcomers, but once understood you realise how very simple they are and the game play is exceedingly engrossing often resulting in multiple games on the trot.Additions in TTRE include even more ways to complete your routes and gain points such as adding train stations, tunnels and ferry routes.The quality of build for this set is very high. The game board is thick and sturdy, the artwork is vibrant and detailed. The player pieces, which keep track of each player's score, are wooden and add to the charm and quality. The playing cards are sturdy, of high quality and again the artwork is beautiful and colourful.The only real let-down is the wagons themselves, and this is really a minor gripe. The wagons are made of moulded plastic and it would be so much nicer if they were wooden as well. However I suspect that, due to the large number of wagons (45 x5 players), this would dramatically increase the cost of this game. If this were something that would bother you it's good to know that there are wooden third-party, aftermarket options available. Another positive worth noting is that several "extra" wagons of each colour are included...just in case one gets lost!Finally, there's even an educational element to each and every version of this game, as it does, in its own way, instil a bit of a minor geography lesson with each and every game played. With the European version, the various cities have their names as spelled in their native tongue...not English. For example, "London" is "London", but "Rome" is "Roma" and "Athens" is "Athina".Highly recommended, highly addictive, and best played with loads of people.

The game is simple enough to be picked up quickly and include younger players. We've had a 10 year old play with adults without a problem and it didn't slow gameplay or require us to "go easy" on her. That being said, there is sufficient depth to the game to allow for various strategies to engage more adept board-gamers.I've played with the minimum of 2 players (including myself), right the way up to the maximum of 5 and the game does feel varied by having different numbers of players which gives another level to the game. The game actually adapts the rules very slightly for higher/lower numbers, I feel in an attempt to lessen the impact of this - and I think they've got the balance right.Note that there are different versions. I've only played Europe. As I understand it, the original USA is slightly simpler. I thought it was just a different map/matter of preference when I chose, and am glad I have the more evolved game.There are expansion packs available, so it doesn't feel like a game that going to run out of steam any time soon. No pun intended.Finally, it's fairly quick. Maybe half an hour for 2 players and an hour for 5 (depending on how much chatting, drinking, pausing etc.). As each turn is a choice of one of a range of options, it's much quicker than a game like Catan where you all procedurally take a series of actions per turn. This requirement to choose only one does bring a whole need to judge when to act, as the game finishing follows the fastest player using all/most of their pieces - and that is one of my favourite aspects to the game.

I decided this was a definite purchase after I first saw how much fun was had playing this game whilst watching "Wil Wheatons Tabletop" on YouTube.A big board game that looked fun, with some thought and tactics required but not overly complicated. And a game that didn't drag on forever and never finish...cough...Monopoly...cough!From reading other reviews and opinions, I decided on the "Europe" version rather than the original USA version. I wasn't disappointed. Living in the U.K. made this an easier choice as well, being more familiar with the European countries.The first run through was a bit slow, mainly due to learning the rules of the game. But now most games take around 30-45 minutes. Long enough to have substance and keep people interested but not too long to get bored.Some people that I have played with aren't used to this longer format having only played faster paced, tradition board games. As such they try to rush through. So most importantly, please go slow and keep well on top of points being scored as on a few occasions we lost track and had to do a re-count. This can be annoying and time consuming but is a flaw of the players and not the game.It would have been nice if the train pieces were made from heavier wood or metal rather than the current plastic. I get that this would bump up the price quite a bit, so I do understand why this is not the case.However, on a few occasions we did knock the board a few times sending pieces flying. This could have easily and cheaply been fixed by making recessed spaces on the board where you place you counters.Apart from that, this will make a great addition to any board game collection and is a great jumping on point for introducing others to more in depth games such as Catan or Alhambra. And leading them away from the bores that are Monopoly and Cluedo!

Great game, bought for our monthly games night and we all really enjoyed it. Takes a few game rounds before it really sinks in, but then it’s really good fun. Plenty of opportunity to be strategic and plenty of laughs when someone gets the card that you need! Would def recommend.