The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible

The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible feels like Kordonski taking the slightly ungainly Rurik and giving it a better cut, mechanically and thematically. It is not here to overturn your week; after a Tuesday at work, it is the sort of game that settles on the table nicely and makes the evening feel properly spent.

At heart, it is a light euro of an hour to an hour and a half, with enough game in it that it never feels thin. The decisions provide the right amount of heat: enough to make you look over your options once more, not enough to leave everyone staring at the table in silence.

There are the expected little bits and pieces too, the small details that keep the process busy and satisfying. Player interaction does not need to shout here; the game benefits more from its steady pace, and from the way everyone remains engaged with it.

Like a good Greek salad, it does not promise unfamiliar flavours, but it gets the familiar ones right. We had a very good time and everyone would play it again; it simply did not linger over the table when we discussed what to play at the end of the night. Quietly excellent, though not necessarily unforgettable.