MS Catan Online

MS Catan Online is up!

Okay, it's official. Catan Online has been launched by (the most powerful) company in the world, Microsoft!

I've been following the development of the game for some time, and I know many of us have played the computer version. Microsoft signed a deal with Klaus Teuber, having the exclusive rights to the only official version of computer Catan.

Now that the online version has launched, there should be more to come, perhaps in the form of cell phone games, probably an Xbox version for it's Xbox Live! service (yay!), and maybe even the expansions.

This has to be considered a major step in the popularizing of German-style games.

Find me online with the handle: Phuntomx, or better yet add me to your MS Messanger Friends list: oberheu_d@msn.com

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Days of Wonder has some excellent online games, that are free if you own copies of the game. Ticket To Ride, for example (game of the year last year).

Play Acquire online

Discovered and online version of the 1962 classic by Sid Sackson:

NetAcquire!

Have played several games so far, very easy to find opponents, easy to use interface, and 100% free!

Acquire is one of the all-time classics, and was my first exposure to German style boardgames. I first played it back in 1986, was introduced by my cousin Bob and his family in Benton Harbor, Michigan at a family reunion. I've played the game over 100 times, and until Settlers of Catan, was the gateway game I used to introduce non gamers and American style gamers to a better alternative.

Currently published by Avalon Hill (in the Wizards of the Coast company), it has been continually in print over 40 years, and has had it's apprearance improved and upgraded over the years. The 5th game listed on Boardgamegeek, it is on everyone's all time best list.

Sid Sackson passed away recently, and during his life he was relatively unknown in the US, many of his games only being played and published in Europe. He is the American version of Klaus Teuber (Settlers of Catan series), and Reiner Knizia (Tigris and Euphrats, Ra, Merchants of Amsterdam, many others). Click the names of these authers for bios/home pages.

Look me up on NetAcquire as Phuntom!

Downloadable board games on the web

For those days when you get the brettspiel "bug" and have no friends around to play with, you can sometimes find a version of your game online, and often for free!

There are many lists of these games available on the geek, and I thought you might find these links to some of the lists helpful:

List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5

List 5 contains information about downloadable PDA games for playing on your Windows CE or Palm Pilot.