Catan, a turn- and card-based strategy title, is based upon Settlers of Catan, a popular board game first released in Germany in 1995. Cut to 2007, Microsoft’s Live Arcade service is sitting there, fresh off of Uno, awaiting another popular game to be digitized for its service. Up steps Big Huge Games, developer of PC gems Rise of Nations and Rise of Legends, ready to answer the call.
The result is an initially confusing but soon completely accessible and wholly addictive strategy game that will suck away hours of your time. You – well, your Live profile – are pitted against some of history’s greats – Abraham Lincoln, Alexander the Great, Sun Tzu, etc. – for supremacy over the island of Catan.
Catan is ripe with resources. The resources are on hexagonal tiles, and each piece has a number that determines which resources are gathered by the roll of the dice. If a 7 is rolled, players can use a robber piece to stop a resource from producing and to steal one from another player. Each player starts off with settlements joined by a road, from there settlements are created and upgraded and roads continue to be laid out. There are several ways to score victory points, one including building the longest road.
As you begin to expand, you will notice a lack of resources. Trading becomes a big part of the game, and it will occur during your turn and during your opponents’ turns (AI can be substituted if you want to play solo). If the other players lack what you need, you can trade by sea by sacrificing more resources than normal to get what’s needed. There is no combat, so those looking for some fisticuffs will want to look elsewhere. The game is really about playing your spots, building to cut off opponents, and biding your time.
Catan is a slow-paced title - a far cry from the typical action and twitchy Arcade offerings. For that very reason it’s also a more relaxing title, one that you can sit back with and enjoy alone or with friends. The emphasis on trade offers a chance for those who aren’t too good to catch up – other players tend to not trade with the player in the lead as time goes on – and also rewards long-term strategizing – sure, I’ll take all your wheat cards for a single brick card. It’s easy to sink hours into Catan, and I would advise you to get downloading so you can do just that.
