Games International #22

The new issue of GI has arrived today, although this was probably scheduled to appear around July time, I guess. This means that the news section isn’t really news: for instance one of the articles covers the <strong>nominations</strong> for the Spiel des Jahres and there is a <strong>preview</strong> of Arkham Horror. It would be nice to think the time lag will disappear in the next issue or two. However, there are some interesting reviews and, for those that didn’t get one through Spielbox, there is the additional Sir Bedivere figure for Shadows Over Camelot. Game of the Month, Friedrich, looks interesting while it’s confusing to find that this year’s Deutsche Spiel Preis winner (Louis XIV) only ranks 5 stars out of 10 according to Brian Walker. Of the other reviews, the San Ta Si one convinces me not to pick this up (even though I’m a sucker for Zoch games) while Ars Mysteriorum looks like I should try it to see if I like it. As I mentioned last time, you can get a copy via Boardgamegeek, although I notice this issue isn’t yet advertised on the site.

Deutscher Spiel Preis 2005

The second major game award for this year has been announced today. Louis XIV turns out to be the winner, with Niagara second and Manila third. I still haven’t managed to play Louis yet but it looks a worthy winner to me. Niagara and Manila are both good games, although there are others in the top ten I prefer (Shadows Over Camelot and 80 Days). The full list is:

1. LOUIS XIV (alea/Ravensburger) 2. NIAGARA (Zoch Verlag) 3. MANILA (Zoch Verlag) 4. UBONGO (Kosmos) 5. HIMALAYA (Tilsit Éditions)   6. IN 80 TAGEN UM DIE WELT (Kosmos) 7. SCHATTEN ÃœBER CAMELOT (Days of Wonder)   8. JAMBO (Kosmos) 9. DAS ZEPTER VON ZAVANDOR (Lookout Games) 10. VERFLIXXT! (Ravensburger)