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This was the cheapest option for me because I bought enough to qualify for free shipping. However, Mayday Games will now ship for free to your local gaming store, so combining that with their 25% off discount for Dominion will get you the most bang for your buck.

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I purchased these sleeves for the game “Agricola”. The sleeves nestle perfectly around the card with a little bit of overhang at the top of the card. I think I would have preferred it without the overhang, but perhaps that protects them from spills better. I guess I could also heat seal them and trim them if I wanted.

There is a bit of shine on the sleeve which makes the card a little bit harder to read, but not much. It won’t take long until I am used to it, I am sure.

I just can’t imagine why it costs what it does for little plastic sleeves. They should be a lot cheaper, as far as I am concerned.

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Maybe it’s because I started writing this review during the final few weeks of the TV series, LOST… but the whole “island full of crumbling ruins & ancient secrets” vibe resonates pretty strongly with me right now.

But don’t take my (admittedly gamer-oriented) word for it: listen to my (gamer-in-training) 8 year old son… or his non-gamer 8 year old friends… or my long-suffering wife (who games because she loves me!)… or even other actual gamers who’ve played the game. It’s been a hit with everyone who has had the opportunity to play!

Forbidden Island is a cooperative game for 2-4 players, though since the game is played with open hands, it works just fine as a solitaire game as well, with the player controlling two (or more) pawns. (Another odd Lost reference: this is definitely a “live together or die alone” kind of game.) Regardless of the number of players, it seems to clock in at right about a half hour of playing time.

The color text of the game has the players on a search for elemental treasures (The Crystal of Fire, the Statue of the Wind, The Ocean’s Chalice & the Earth Stone) created by an ancient civilization. Of course, it’s not a simple archaeological expedition – the island is booby-trapped to begin sinking when anyone attempts to steal the treasures… and that’s exactly what you’re here to do.

I could go into a detailed rules explanation… but that seems pretty pointless when a PDF of the rulebook is available online, thanks to the good folks at Gamewright. Simply put, you’re using 3 actions per turn to move your piece across an island made of tiles, attempting to collect the treasures, shore up the sinking parts of the island, and generally survive long enough for all of you to grab the last helicopter off the island (is Frank Lapidus the pilot?). At the end of each turn, you draw cards to increase your hand (and potentially increase the rate of flooding) as well to sink more parts of the island.

There are lots of ways to lose:

*if the helicopter landing pad sinks, you lose

*if one of your team doesn’t survive, you lose

*if you fail to recover all four treasures, you lose

*if the island floods completely, you lose

But it wouldn’t be much of a cooperative game if you won all the time, right? So far, we’re doing very well playing at the Novice setting, while we’re about 50/50 at the Normal setting. I have yet to convince my son to try it at the more difficult settings. (BTW, a clever game feature – you only have to change the starting level of the water – indicated on a sliding scale – to change the difficulty of the game. No re-mixing the deck, no convoluted alternative set-up.)

The components are high quality – nice cards, great chunky tiles with evocative “forbidden island” artwork that reminds me a bit of the computer game Myst, and nifty plastic “treasures” – all packaged in a cool-looking tin with a well-designed box insert. (For those of you non-gamers, the “well-designed insert” may not sound like a big deal, but I can tell you from experience that it makes it easier to transport & keep the game in top-notch condition… and that not all companies think this part through.)

A side note: since the designer, Matt Leacock, is best known for his OTHER cooperative game, Pandemic, it’s helpful to note that while the games share some mechanics (most notably the Infection/Waters Rise restacking of the decks & the various player roles that allow each person to “break” the rules in a particular way) but that the board play (due to the sinking tiles) and kid-friendly theme make for a very different game experience.

Finally, the recommended age of 10 is correct – but only if the kids are going to be playing without any adults helping run the game. With a friendly adult, the game can easily be played by kids as young as 5. The cheap price point (the MSRP is only $15.99) means that Forbidden Island will be likely be one of the best kid gaming investments you’re likely to make this year.

Rating:

First, as others have stated, the components and artwork are great. Very eye-catching and it gave my 7-year-old something to play with during the slower parts of the game.

The gameplay was a pretty simple concept after the first couple of turns. Take up to 3 actions, draw two treasure cards, handle Waters Rise if need be, draw Flood cards and flip/remove tiles. There are also two special cards – helicopter to move pawns from one tile to any other and sandbag to shore up one tile anywhere on the board. Those can be played at any time, even during another player’s turn.

I should also mention the price in case you haven’t kept an eye on that – full retail is currently $16. With the quality of the components, that’s pretty hard to believe, but very welcome on the wallet. Others have noted it as well, but we’re used to paying more for games with good components, gameplay, and theme.

That being said, the game is designed around the theme of an island holding four powerful artifacts that will sink if anyone tries to claim them. The object of the game is to collect all four artifacts, return to the helicopter pad, and have all players escape the island at the same time before it sinks. That doesn’t sound too hard by itself, but several times during the game, the waters will rise, at times removing tiles that form a critical route or worse, are crucial to winning the game. As the waters rise, the cards representing tiles that have already been flooded are put back on the top of the deck, making it more likely that they will sink and be removed soon.

Players can collect treasures by being on the correct tile and possessing 4 (of 5) treasure cards for that item. Cards can be given to other players during their turn if they’re on the same tile. Players can also “shore up” the island during their turn. This is essential to keep routes open to escape the island and take treasures.

We purchased our copy at a local comic shop today, unboxed it, and played one hand. It took a couple of turns to get used to the gameplay, but it was nice being able to discuss our moves and try to have a strategy on what to do. We managed to escape due to two helicopter cards being ready to pull everyone to the landing site and then escape the island very close to when we would have had the waters rise again. I could definitely feel some tension on wondering whether we’d all make it or not. The game was easy enough for our 7-year-old to play and I’d say it was a lot of fun.

I can’t speak for how much this game is or is not like Pandemic. I can say that:

The cooperative aspect is fun.

The theme fits the game very well.

The game’s mechanics are straightforward and easy to grasp.

The price is excellent!

I think that this game was a great choice. It may not replace some of my top games as far as frequency of play, but I think this will be high up on my list of games played this year. If you want a co-op game for the family, I’d highly recommend this. For the price, it’s hard to find a game of this quality anywhere.