As this is my first game that I am rating, I figured to start out simple. Blokus is a straightforward strategy game where the objective is to place as many of the brightly colored pieces as possible on the board. The trick is that pieces of the same color can only be placed corner to corner, no touching edges! This is great with four people, though can work with as few as two. It even has a few brain teasers for one person. Players who get good at this game can work on blocking off other players while planning where they will put their own pieces. While simple, this game is not for the really young. Junior highers would be old enough to play with understanding. The rules are pretty simple to teach, but getting good at this game could take a while for most. Games are short and positive scores are rare as you lose points for pieces you don't place based on their size. As far as being one you bring to a party, the large box can be a bit difficult to have around, as it really does not do well on the bottom of the stack, as well as the game is limited to four seriously thinking players. All in all, it is a good game to have in your collection for a simpler chess alternative.
Ratings: (out of 10 for each category)
Difficulty: 7 - Hard to pick up nuances of strategy
Replay Value: 4 - Not much variation to the game. No elements of luck or randomness. No expansions.
Pace: 8 - A bit slow as turns require a lot of thinking and searching, but piece placement can go quickly
Social Value: 4 - Not a lot of people will enjoy this, and the game does not really force social elements, but lots of open time for talking
As this is my first post I will also say that I would love suggestions on better or different rating categories, and suggestions for games to rate. I enjoy your feedback!
