We have fun playing this game. However, with 3 of us, we need an expansion as I always stop my son from having the longest road and steal the reward and he's in his 20's!

My son and daughter play this game for hours and love it. One plus is that I don't hear them fight while playing, which is the opposite of games like monopoly were they fight all the time. A quite game that they like! [..]. Amazon had the best price that I found and with free delivery it was the way to go.

this game was really fun to play for a while, but it lost it's luster after a while. part of this I suppose is that I played with the same people most of the time. avoid playing with the same people over and over again, they will figure out your strategies and deny you resources you need. trading is a pain because no one wants to give up resources if they think you need them to win, this gets annoying sometimes.
again, it was fun for me for a few months, I enjoyed the game and it's level of strategy, but what kills it for me is that you basically HAVE to trade to win. I much prefer theCarcassonne Game because there is no trading involved.

I bought this game as a gift for my 20 yr old brother. It's a big hit with the young, sci-fi crowd. He and his friends have enjoyed getting together and playing interesting, out of the ordinary board games, and this game fits the bill. You can purchase an expansion pack seperately so that more people can play, but the original game is good for 4 players.

This game is so much fun! Our family has really enjoyed the game's quest for building the longest road,or being the first to achieve the winner's 10 points! No regrets!

Settlers of Catan is fairly easy to pick up and start playing.
The board changes arrangement every time you play, and there are several strategies that can be employed to win.
This is a particularly good game for groups of 4. (Possibly more, with one of the expansion packs.)

This game is so much fun! My 9 year old loves it. It's great for teaching strategy. It's a completely different game every time you play it. I recommend this game to everyone.

Collaborative interactive board game. Unlike games such as monopoly and risk where players attack and manipulate one another.

As with previous printings, this version of Catan is a very nice looking high quality product.

All in all, the Settlers of Cantan is a wonderful game. You can find more images and reviews at http://www.boardgamegeek.com/ As a long-time gamer, I would say Settlers of Catan provides a good balance between simple rules and complex game play. Both gamers and non-gamers can enjoy this game. Heck, even my wife is willing to play this game!

Like someone said, I wont go in detail about the game and how to play it. I will say that this game, along with the extensions and other Klaus Tueber games have become our favs in our home. My husband and I, our two sons (11 & 14) play weekly. Especially the extensions Cities and Knights and Seafarers. I learned more of Tuebers games by joining [...] where you can play Catan online as well. This is a must have, great family fun, promise you wont be disappointed and you will be back to buy the extensions...

I have been enjoying Catan with family and friends for a few years now. If you've ever played the original, you know that it is inevitable for the game board to shift during game play. The dice, a hand, a finger..something usually finds its way to the game board and hit the tiles.

The interlocking ocean pieces that go on the outside of the board and keep the game pieces in place is the highlight of this version. Besides the fact that the game board will never get ruined again, it makes the game look and feel more like a true game board.

The new artwork is O.K. Nothing that I or anyone I played with go to excited about. It's pretty easy to adjust to the new artwork on the octagons that represent the resources it provides.

This is a great buy for any Catan lover, I highly recommend this product.

We are avid players of Settlers (and love it), but this newest addition has some flaws that make us wish we would have bought the 3rd addition. We have had the game for about 8 months, and the interlocking border (instead of the regular hexagon pieces in the 3rd addition) have never fit right. It takes three people to get everything into place, and even then the border warps and the pieces pop out. They interlock like a puzzle piece, and they are starting to wear out, so we have finally given up on getting everything together correctly. If you were worried about the 3rd addition getting bumped and jumbled, you simply had to set up the game on a tablecloth or piece of fabric. This newer addition is impossible to setup correctly, especially as it ages.

Also note you cannot use your old expansion packs with the newer addition, as the pieces are different. You now have to pay for all the newer versions of the expansion packs, how convenient.

We still love this game and will play it regularly, it just seems the "advancements" were not tested or well planned. It is also bothersome that they made the newer additions incompatible with the old expansions, you can easily spend $150 on this game and the expansions, and you would expect that investment to last... it is a board game after all!

I love this game. I had the old version but not the expansion so I got the new version with the expansion. To my disappointment, the quality on the new version is terrible. After a day of opening my game, I found that the cardboard pieces would bend, which made it more difficult to build the board. Not only did the individual hexes bend, but also the outside water pieces. Very annoying and very disappointed. I also feel that I can no longer play with it now.

The Settlers of Catan is a must have for anyone who enjoys playing board games. Winning the game requires negotiating with other players, assessing resource supply and demand, and mapping out a plan to get those last few victory points. Yet, players are still subject to the luck of the dice and rules that usually keep the game close until the very end.

Settlers has huge replay value. The game board is actually a collection of tiles that change position every time you play, and there are several different strategies to winning. Additionally, the game has many expansions, scenarios, and variants to keep things interesting.

A few things to consider before purchasing: The base game requires 3 or 4 players - no more, no less. However, an expansion is available that allows a 5th and 6th player to join in, and a 2-player variant is available in the Traders and Barbarians expansion. Also, the game time varies depending on the experience and "efficiency" of the players. I've played in games that take as little as 30 minutes and as long as 2 hours. Lastly, the rules are very detailed, yet easy to understand. You'll need to refer to the rule book the first few times you play for those "unusual" situations.

Overall, this is truly a great game. Since it is not owned by Mattel or Hasbro, it suffers from underexposure in the U.S. Otherwise, you would find it on the shelves of every store that sells board games.

This is one of my favorite games. You can play it over and over again because every time the setup changes so it stays fresh. I rated it a three for educational value because although the game does not teach knowledge, it does use the skills of strategy, thinking ahead, and bargaining effectively. Everything else is top notch. The playing pieces are wood, and the game board pieces are very durable. It is an excellent game for hanging out with family or friends. I would suggest getting the expansion pack though, so you can play with a group of 5 or 6. The original game is for a max of 4 people. You can also modify the rules to suit your group. Every group I've played with plays slightly differently.

This is a very good game of strategy. The directions are pretty confusing for a first-timer - best to play with someone experienced the first few times. With each game we figure out a bit more about strategy. It requires a fair amount of brain work, so I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who is younger than a teen or someone who doesn't like to think. I can see becoming an addict and buying some of the add-ons.

I absolutely love this game. I played it before and finally decided to purchase it. The only problem is that I forgot it requires a minimum of 3 players. I played with my husband and it was fine, not as challenging though. I would recommend this game to anybody who enjoys playing strategy games. This game is great for those family evenings together or just groups of friends. Summary: fun, challenging, fast, easy to learn, enjoyed over a wide age range.

Anyone who i have ever played this with loved it and usually ordered it. Now when someone is telling you the rules and everything it honestly sounds like a terrible game and starts kind of slow but when it gets goin and the trading and negotiations get involved it becomes much more fun.

Settlers of Catan is an excellent game which is pleasantly impossible to master. The rules are simple enough that a readthrough of the rules or one game with people who have played the game before is enough to teach the basics. The fun lies in the way many different people compete for scarce resources and take on varying strategies to accomplish the same goal. The pieces are very aesthetically pleasing and there are many different ways to accomplish the same goal. Definitely recommend to anybody who is looking for a german-style board game to play!

Settlers of Catan- need I say more? This game has it all. Strategy, chance, trading, persuading/manipulating (however you see fit), interaction between players, and rules that can be learned in less than twenty minutes and will stay with you for a lifetime! I have worn in my 3rd edition board so much within the past year and a half. No matter what games are out there, my friends and family always go back to Settlers. There are just so many ways the game can change that no two games are alike. Also, once you think you have mastered it you will still always find obstacles in your path to never achieve an easy victory. Settlers is an addiction that everyone needs to get turned on to! Be sure to get yours right away!

We bought this game and instantly became fans. The game takes a lot of strategy and has elements of luck. You can change aspects of the game to make it different every time that you play. It is a great game to involve the family and my children like it as much as any computer game. There are little pieces and cards, so make sure to pick everything up when you finish. It's not good for the car, though I think they make some kind of travel version, but it's fine for travelling as long as you don't leave pieces in your wake. The game is an average length of time, aobut an hour or so. We'd be interested in buying other games from this maker.

My daughter introduced our family to this game while on home from college. We've been playing it every weekend, including my 16 year-old son, my 19 year-old daughter, and my husband. If you use the random set-up, the game changes every time and poses new challenges.

Having played both the older version and the new one I will say that I like the addition of the linking outer edges. They can be problematic though - mine tend to not lie perfectly flat and therefore don't hold the inside tiles together like they should.
Also the old version had wooden dice, and the new one has very ugly bright red and yellow plactic dice - not sure what the point of that is when all the other game pieces are wooden or cardboard.
The gameplay is amazing though, and the same for both versions. Every time I visit friends and family they require that I "bring Settlers!"

I agree with all the other posts. Takes the best aspects of Diplomacy, Risk etc, but easier to learn, faster to play, and more interaction and fun. My neighborhood is now addicted, and my 9/8 year olds love to play as well. I highly recommend the Seafarers expansion. The Knights & Castles expansion makes it a much more complex game. If you have an older edition (3rd edition) of Settlers and then get a new 4th edition of the expansions, you will need to get the "upgrade kit" from the Mayfair Games site for $10. It is the frame of the board that fits together to form the water boundary. The older versions did not have this frame, and it makes the older and newer versions somewhat incompatible.

It brings a lot of fun to me and my friends. It's a nice party game and the play time is not very long which is good so we can play multiple times in one party.

This game is highly addictive and fun for groups. What is so great about the game is that it is intelligent, interactive and dynamic. The game is never the same and there is always strategy.

Additionally, the game is robust enough to allow you to make your own "house rules" and if you have mastered the regular version you can expand to allow more players and more complex game play.

You cannot go wrong with this game. It is a classic must have.

We'll keep buying from Amazon because the prices are much better, but there are printable on-line instuctions, hints & free variations from the game's inventor available (including rules & pieces you can print & paste on cardboard) at Mayfair Games. There are also some variations from some other people, but at my house we're going to stick with the inventor's versions because his seemed better. Making the new pieces is how I spent my lunch break today. It's not too hard to get the right size & color if you scan the blowup of the piece (which will be way too big) & then downsize & adjust the color with the scanner program. We played the game with my new volcano piece this evening.

We would easily give it all 5 stars, except it would be nice if the carboard were a little thicker or laminated. I do like the wood pieces. They're like the OLD Monoply houses.

If anyone remember the Bookshelf Games that were popular in the late 60's & early 70's, (yes, you really can be that old & still like board games)this is like a cross of the best parts of Feudal, Stocks & Bonds, & Acquire. Those games gave two transplanted Texas something to do during 3 long & very cold Wisconsin winters 30-some years ago, but this game has the best elements of each of those.

I played the trial of this game on-line & enjoyed it, so I bought the board game to play with my son & daughter-in-law. It's long, but not too long. We all like it very much, even though so far my son wins almost always. We are making it harder for him to win as we work out our own stragedy. The cool thing is, every game layout is different, so every time we play it's really a fresh start. We invited a neighbor to play yesterday. At first she looked bored & confused, but after the first game she happily stayed for the second round & when that was over, she said she'd like to play again soon. Suprisingly, playing with four took less time than playing with three, even though we stopped several times to explain the game.

Yesterday I ordered the combination of fish, river, & extra cards to have more choices & we're anxiously waiting for them to arrive. It looks like I'm going to have to get the expansions as soon as my budget allows since other family members have asked when they can play. Anyway, I think it's a great family game for about age 10 & up, depending on the child's ability & attention span. A kid who can sit still for a while to read a book and who has some mathematical ability could play as well as an adult, but it's took long & involved for the kids who can only sit still for a fast action video game. That's my best Grandma type advice, anyway.

Happy settling!

This is a faily fun game, good for the family. I would say that luck has a lot to do with the outcome of this game.

Settlers is a great game, we really enjoy playing it with our family and friends. Everyone we teach it to seems extremely bored with the list of rules at first, but once they play it once, they are begging to come over and play it more. The rules are somewhat complicated in the beginning, but after playing the game several times, everything makes perfect sense. A great game that actually requires some strategy and thinking.

After playing Ticket to Ride multiple tries, we tried Settlers. This is a very unique game that is easy to learn and you can use a variety of strategies each time you play. Great!

I played this game for the first time this past weekend, and I was a little hesitant to start at first because it seemed like there were so many rules and details that would be hard to pick up on. However, I ended up having SO much fun playing that I just bought it for my family! There is great interaction between the players, and I loved hearing about each person's strategies at the end of the game. We played with 4 people, and it ended up lasting like 2.5-3 hours, but we were all first time players, and it was totally worth it!

This game is really a lot of fun for people who like to think things through while playing. But you can plan as much as you want... in the end there are always some unexpected turns.
The great thing about this game is that you can change its pattern every time when you play it.

I bought the 3rd edition of Settlers and the expansion for our game group about a year ago. I recently purchased the new versions including Seafarers and Cities & Knights, excited about the artwork and frame pieces, but I was extremely disappointed.

Some changes:
1) The new SLAP YOU IN THE FACE blue water pieces' color do not match our original version. This makes it impossible to mix with our older games for our large groups.

2) The new "white" pieces are actually painted white now which I think is an improvement, but now they don't match earlier versions of the game.

3) The hexes are (incredibly) even flimsier than the 3rd edition. They are also coated with a very glossy surface coating that makes it hard to play with light coming in the windows.

4) The snap-together edges seem like an improvement, but since I have one of those awesome wooden boards from eBay, we don't use them.

5) The clay hexes, that used to be clearly red, are now so similar in color to the wheat hexes that it's harder to differentiate between them.

6) Gold, wheat, and even desert look very similar as well, but the cards' backgrounds haven't changed to help you match the resource with the card. With the exception of forest, the new hex artwork actually makes the game harder to play, imo.

Catan is still a fantastic game and our game groups' favorite. But I am so disappointed with the new version that I am very seriously considering selling my 4th edition to go back to the easier to play with older versions.

That's just a bit of humor. I have to be honest, I love this game. It is very fun, but it takes 1 game for people to truly understand how to play. I still consider it relatively easy to learn though. I like the game, but I have to admit - I feel the dice hate me! Actually, I got rid of the original dice because they were too light for my liking.
Anyway, this is a great game to play with a couple friends. I think if you add the expansion and take it to 5-6 players, it becomes a very fun game.
This edition with the framing seas (which I don't have) looks like a great addition...

An excellent board game that is surprisingly fun and competitive. The only downside is that the game maxes out at 4 people (unless you buy the expansion pack). A cross between Risk & Monopoly.