The Settlers of Catan is a board game like none I've seen before. It was unavailable in the US for awhile because the American distributor, Mayfair Games kept poking itself in the eye. Finally a friend found it and surprised me with it for Christmas '97. Since then I've played often, and it's always a good time.

Settlers itself is a sort of mix between monopoly and wargames, with the best parts of both. It's a trading game with no battle or conflict other than land and resource rights. Another real plus is how quickly new players can learn the game. I've been beaten soundly by people playing their first game -- which is not to say the game is without its skill requirements.

There are quite a few web sites out there dealing with Settlers and varients thereof. A seafaring supplement is available on the German market, and if it does well there, should be here soon. I've got a combat added supplement called 'The Knights and Cities of Catan' which adds a whole new layer to the game. Everything is in German except a poor rules translation, but with a little practice it's a lot of fun. The new rules add some simple combat and technological advancement (similar to Age of Renaissance by Avalon Hill).