Carcassonne: Fun with tiles.

Game by Klaus-Jurgen Wrede
Published by A ton of different people
Price: Around $15.
Players: 2-5
Time: 20 - 40 minutes.

Carcassonne falls into the "Classic" category like Settlers of Catan. Just about everyone has played it, and it's even available on the XBOX 360. You can get it from (of course) Board Game Geek or from Cool Stuff Inc. The box is fairly small, but that's because there is not a lot to this particular game. Open the box and:

Huh. A bunch of tiles? Yes. There are really two things for this game. The tiles:

And the wooden "meeples":

There is also a scoring track, but it's really kind of superfluous as you could just use pen and paper for that part.

Still, it helps to keep the game pretty.

The play is simple. On your turn, you draw a tile, place the tile, and then decide whether or not to place a follower (meeple) on the tile you just placed. But tiles have to match on all sides (empty space doesn't matter, and you could place a tile knowing that it would block a later otherwise legitimate move), and you can not place followers on something that is already claimed. Completing roads, cities, and monasteries gives you points, and returns your follower to you. After all the tiles are placed, the game is over, unfinished projects give diminished points, and the winner is the one with the most points.

It is a simple, but still enjoyable game. We usually play several rounds of it when it comes off the shelf.

FUN: 3.5. Honestly, it is a bit simple for my tastes. I'm always willing to play, but
                 I don't suggest it often myself.

THEME: 1. What theme?

QUALITY: 4. It's a euro game... Wooden pieces and thick stock.

ART: 3. Nothing special, gets the job done.

INTERACTIVITY: 4. Oh yeah, it's interactive alright. Let someone screw up your huge
                                   castle at the last minute... It gets REAL "interactive" then.

COMPLEXITY: 2. This is not a complex game.

LUCK: 4. You're always drawing tiles, and it is the primary mechanic.

I would recommend it to just about anyone. It makes a good addition to any collection, and it does not cost much.