Kingdom Builder

Kingdom Builder feels like one of those games that has not entirely decided what it wants to be, yet is easy to forgive once it is on the table. It does not weigh down an evening or demand every last useful thought after a Tuesday at work; it offers a fair little puzzle and gets on with it.

At heart, a session is a light puzzle of choices rather than a stack of rules trying to prove its importance. Reading and teaching it are pleasantly quick, which sounds trivial until one remembers how many supposedly light games now arrive with the administrative burden of a small department.

The Big Box keeps changing the shape of that puzzle through its many variants and expansions, so sessions need not blur into one another. The snag is that the way these pieces are combined is not always as orderly as I would like; there is a great deal in the box, but it asks for a little patience before it all sits neatly together.

The Big Box is good value, and Kingdom Builder is a refreshing reminder that simplicity need not apologise for itself. Quietly excellent for anyone wanting a summery game that opens, teaches and plays without making a performance of it.