Carcassonne Review

By , on June 9, 2010


Carcassonne
Download on the AppStore
5 out of 5

PROS

  • Official Carcassonne gameplay with an alternative Solitaire mode.
  • Local and Online multiplayer modes.
  • Spoken tutorial for new players.
  • Excellent value for money.

CONS

  • iPad users will need to wait for a native version - that said, it will be a free update.

VERDICT

Despite only being published a decade ago, Carcassonne has all the hallmarks of a classic board-game and grabbing a version to play on the go is a boon that no one should miss.


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The Coding Monkeys have done an excellent job of transforming the sensational board-game title of Carcassonne to the iPhone. That's jumping the gun on the review, but if you're already a fan of the addictive board-game published by Hans im Glück then that should be all you really need to hear. For everyone else, this is an opportunity you just can't miss.

Like many board-games, the space requirements can become utterly daunting to deal with, especially when confronted with a game like Carcassonne that allows players to place tiles down in order to create a spanning web of castles and road-filled countrysides. Each turn players are given a random card to add to the field that must correctly join up with another card, providing opportunities to place down their 'meeple' to help score points. Players can be cunning and block opportunities created by others, but meeple left on the board will accumulate points once the available cards have run out.

The game's interface is simple and easy to manage, with tiles gracefully sliding in to place and completed territories are marked for future reference. Automatic end-game scoring is a boon to those familiar with the laborious task of counting the remaining accumulated point. For those after an extra challenge, a solitaire mode has been included with high-score boards and the ability to challenge friends with the exact same tileset you've used.

Compared to purchasing the full board-game, this is an absolute steal and a must have for all social gamers.

Screenshots

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