Lost Cities

 

Lost Cities is a simple two-player card game created by German game designer Reiner Knizia and released in the US by Rio Grande Games.  The purpose of the game is to use investors to fund an expedition to one or more of five lost cities.   You and your opponent play various cards to determine who makes the most progress towards finding the lost city.  In the end, the played card's values are added (minus any obligations to investors) and the player with the most points wins the game.

OK, so if you have played this game you would probably claim I emphasized the theme too much.  And I would definitely agree with you.  The theme is not an integral part of this game.  But that does not mean it is not an awesome game!  So, as usual, here are my pros and cons:

Pros:

• This game is quick to learn and quick to play
• The artwork is fantastic
• This game creates an intense experience between you are your opponent (I find this a pro but perhaps others may not)
• I love the large cards
• The game board is useful
• Instructions are short and clear with useful examples
• It is inexpensive

Cons:

• The theme has nothing to do with the game play
• Some claim the game is "mathy", I would argue it is "arithmeticy"

I can't really think of many cons to this game.  My wife and I love it, have played it many times, and we are yet to be bored with it.  The most interesting aspect to this game is that the players must play a card first before selecting a new one.  Such a simple mechanic but very effective at creating the suspense.   I highly recommend this game, especially to those who are in a relationship (assuming your partner is not crazy competitive).  Not for a large game group because it is primarily a two-player game (though there is a four-player version of this game that I have never played, but two games must be used).