Forget boring old Monopoly or Scrabble, Germany’s most popular board game has finally made its way to Bangkok. After conquering Europe and the US, where it was responsible for reigniting interest in old-fashioned sit-down-and-socialize gaming, the Settlers of Catan is now available in Thai. The premise? Once the dice hit the board, you adopt the guise of new immigrants to the fertile and empty island of Catan. Develop your colony by building roads, villages and settlements. Each new development earns you points, and you can trade goods and resources with other players. The first to reach 10 points wins. But the real reasons it beats playing Diablo in a dingy internet café are the life skills it promotes: strategic thinking, decision making, supply and demand and negotiation tactics. Each game lasts about 75 minutes and you can play with up to four players (an extension pack for up to six players is coming next year).
Available for B1,600 at Battlefield Bangkok, 2/F, Golden Pearl Residence, Sukhumvit Soi 101/1, Bangkok, 02-749-9719. BTS Punnawithi. Order online at www.ninivegames.com