Regardless of the quality of the boards, the game is ridiculously overpriced mostly due to its import-only status exacerbated by its availability through a sole US distributor, and that is only demerit I can levy against it in good conscience. Sixty dollars for a card game with a couple of counter sheets, two mounted boards, four wooden dice, and a handful of colored plastic soccer balls (used mostly off-board to track each team’s ranking) seems like an awful lot.

The production is pretty basic overall but the art is decent, the components functional, and the boards are actually pretty evocative despite looking like Excel charts at first glance. When I opened the box, I do have to admit that I felt a little premature buyer’s remorse since I was inevitably comparing the game to the component quality and density of domestic games in this price range. At a $40 price point and with greater availability, I think the game could be a big hit even here in the soccer-adverse US. However, I love the game enough, and have played it enough, that I don’t feel my investment on it was wasted at all and knowing what I know now about the game I would be willing to pay double the retail price for it. I feel that I’ve gotten much more than my money’s worth out of the game in just a couple of months of ownership so my one complaint is almost a moot issue.

I think THE WORLD CUP GAME is almost perfect for what it is, what it aspires to be, and for the class of game it represents. It’s all clean lines, straightforward play, and none of the over-engineered, “mechanics first/player second” design idioms that have plagued a lot of the new games I’ve played recently. This is a game about playing, about players playing cards and playing against each other and the possibilities that exist in that exchange. The potential for flexible offensive and defensive use of cards and the ability to influence matches across the board make for a very tactical game that requires a degree of strategy and the rules never get in the way of player interaction and competition.

A few simple but smart design choices- like the rule that requires players to keep their cards between rounds, enabling a player to hold on to a valuable three-goal card for a later round, for example add a lot more depth and offer more opportunities for creative, dramatic play than most games in a lighter “beer and pretzels” weight class. It would be efficient to slate THE WORLD CUP GAME in with other easy-but-nasty card games like NUCLEAR WAR, FAMILY BUSINESS, or SLAPSHOT but I think that it offers a much more interesting and compelling experience than usually seen at this level or in those estimable titles.

So the big question that remains inevitably in the minds of many readers is “Will I like this game if I don’t have any interest in soccer?” And the answer, I think, is yes. This is a very, very solid and fun-to-play design that really kind of transcends its theme while still being true to it in terms of mechanical integration and conceptual execution. I have played games of it with people who looked at me like I was crazy for suggesting that we play a sports game and they’ve gone through it cheering and jeering like a hooligan on the terraces. The trash talk is torrential, the sense of accomplishment when you win your group or a finals match is palpable, and the results are sometimes breathlessly exhilarating.

THE WORLD CUP GAME is a fantastic choice not just for sports fans but also for gamers looking for a light to medium weight card game for a big group that guarantees a lot of excitement and direct competition without a heavy rules burden. And with a fourth expansion planned for release at Essen 2008, the fun looks like it’s just going to keep rolling on. I certainly hope it does since it has become one of my very favorite games of recent years.

Questions or comments for Michael? Send them along to gameshark.feedback@yahoo.com .

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