The Silver River

The Silver River remains an honest proposition: familiar and fairly relaxed on the surface, with enough going on underneath that it never feels empty. It does not need to be called a marvel to earn its place on the table. It just must not be allowed to become too civilised.

At heart, it is a roomy euro, with plenty to manage and rounds that unfold at their own pace. If everyone tends only their own little plan, the game still works, but it gets heavier and runs a touch longer than it deserves.

The change needs to happen early, in the first or second round, when the aggressive moves begin. You are no longer merely building your own position; you are disrupting someone else's comfortable schedule, making them adapt, and giving the table a story to tell. If everyone strokes each other and plays peacefully, it becomes a bloated euro that outstays its welcome a little.

The two mini expansions seem as though they would add a little more freshness and replay value, and it is still a shame there has been no new edition. The base game is perfectly sound, though, provided you give it what it asks for: a few early slaps. With conflict, The Silver River is a noticeably better game.