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Santorini

Overall Rating: 8/10

Age: 8+

GLAM Age Range: 8-Adult

Number of Players: 2-4

Playing Time: 20 min

Publisher: Spin Master

Complexity: Medium or High

Available At: Amazon.com

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Quick Take: If you love chess you will love Santorini. I do not love chess and my husband is way better at this game than me, so I don't enjoy this game as much as I should. Although I do enjoy three player more than two or four because that is where you have the most characters building in the game and it is a bit more chaotic and you structured chess people can't plan out your moves in advance quite as well. They also provide a second level of play for this game where you incorporate God Powers. That makes it take a little longer to set up and escalates the difficulty level of the game but it sometimes makes the game play go quicker and it does provide more variety in play which is very nice. If I had teenagers who were into chess this game would be a hands down excellent pick for them. 

How to Play: Your goal is to have one of your workers reach level three of a building. This is trickier than you think. Each player gets two workers of matching color to start with. Each turn you move a worker one space and build one level of a building adjacent to a spot where your worker is standing. Your worker can climb up on top of buildings, but only one level up at a time. Anyone can build on a building, it's all common building ground. Buildings are allowed to be capped with domes, which blocks a worker from climbing on top of them and winning the game. You can also lose the game if both of your workers become trapped in spaces and can't move and/or build on their turn. This can happen if they get trapped behind tall buildings as a worker can jump down from any height but can only climb one level at a time. This game is certainly more simple than chess but it requires a lot of the same skills of planning out moves and blocking your opponents. . 

Variations: Add in the God Power Cards. They are fun and interesting and add a lot to the game.

Similar Games To Check Out: KingdominoBlokus, TsuroLabyrinth, Latice, Patchwork 

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