Having lived in Korea during two World Cups, it's amazing to see the level of excitement non-American countries have for the sport of soccer (football to the rest of the world). My enthusiasm for the game, while still at an extremely low amateur level, has increased also because of this. However, I haven't played many soccer board games that capture the feel of a soccer game - and there aren't that many available anyway. However, when Powershot Soccer (Powerplay Industries, 2006 - No designer credited) showed up in my box, I was slightly intrigued. One, it was a card game; and two, there are ten different decks for ten countries. Could a card game accurately depict the full-field excitement of international soccer?

The answer is both yes and no. As a card game, I was impressed with how easy, quick, and enjoyable the game was. At the same time, it's certainly not a soccer simulation, as many of the game mechanics are boiled down into sheer simplicity. Really, I don't care, as the game is simply an enjoyable card game with a soccer theme. The theme matches, but folks wanting more soccer realism may be disappointed. My review is based on using the Italy and South Korea decks, although they were similar enough to give me an overview of the game.

Each player starts with a deck of cards, which are one of six basic types (Pass, Dribble, Shoot, Tackle, Intercept, and Save) - with numbers ranging from "1" to "8" - and four special types (Long Range Shot, Star Player, Cross, and Fancy Footwork). To start the game, some cards representing a scoreboard are placed on the table, and players shuffle their decks, drawing eleven cards into their hand. Each player flips over the top card from their deck, and the player with the higher number begins the game, being on the "attack".

The player on the "attack" then plays a Possession card from their hand onto the table. The defender then must play a corresponding defense card (Tackle cards stop Dribbles and Intercepts stop Passes) that is of an equal number or higher. If the number of the defense card is equal, the attacking player is stopped and must start a new attack. If the number is greater, the defender stops the attack and becomes the attacker themselves.

Often, however, the defender won't or can't stop the attack and must simply discard any card from their hand. At this point, the attacker plays a second Possession card, which is handled the same way. If that card is unblocked, the attacker can then play a Shoot card, which must be blocked with a Save card. If the shot is not blocked, the attacker scores a goal, and the defender becomes the next attacker!

A player must play two successful Possession cards before shooting, but may attempt to play additional cards before shooting if they wish. Each extra additional Possession card adds "+2" to the shot. The four special cards also have special abilities:
- Star Player - this card is basically a "wild" card. It has a rating of "5" and can be used as a Save, Dribble, Pass, Shoot, Tackle, or Intercept card.
- Cross - this card is the same as a Pass card, except that if it is played directly before a shot, it adds "+2" to the shot's power.
- Fancy Footwork - this card is the same as a Dribble card, except that if it is played directly before a shot, it adds "+2" to the shot's power.
- Long Range Shot - this card is a shot card that can be played after only successfully played Possession card and is “+2” if played after additional Possession cards.

When one of the two players draw the last card from their deck, the half immediately ends, unless a player can legally play a Shot card from their hand. After two halves, the player with the most goals is the winner!

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: The cards of the game are of good quality, with bright colors differentiating between attack, defense, and special cards, and white borders allowing the number to be clearly seen. Each deck comes with six cards that show a score number “0” through “5” on one side, and the team on the other – two of them are put together to make a scoreboard. All the cards fit inside a small tuckbox that then fits inside a larger box with lid – that mostly seems for display purposes, although I kept both. My only problem with the components was that in the heat of the game we often had to check to see which card stopped which type. This wasn’t so difficult for the basic cards, but we often forgot whether a tackle or an intercept stopped a cross. It would have been slightly more helpful to have that information on each card. Still, for a small game, the components are nice and certainly help with the soccer theme.

2.) Rules: The rules are nicely illustrated and show examples and color pictures throughout – easily explaining the game. Unfortunately, they are on two sides of a large sheet of paper, folded “map style” into the box. On the positive side, there is a Quick Guide card that shows how the special cards work and even a chart that shows which cards stop which (a partial solution for my problem I outlined in the components). As for ease of playing, we were up and running within a minute of my going over the rules; and I found the game quite simple to learn and teach – regardless of one’s aptitude with soccer.

3.) Theme: You’re not going to find a rewarding game that allows players to setup and run clever offensive and defensive formations on the board. At the same time, I’m impressed with how the downfield offensive runs are distilled into the simple card mechanics, enough to keep the game from simply be a “play cards better than the opponent.” Also, the game is fairly quick, with a game taking less than thirty minutes and being rather engrossing for the entire time. Just like a normal soccer game, scores are low, and each goal feels hard-earned.

4.) Strategy: At first the strategies seem a bit simplistic, what with only a ten different cards to play; but the game, while simple, actually has some interesting and fun decisions to make. Should you throw away your low cards early, while potentially giving your opponent the ball and the momentum? When should you play your higher cards – on the first Possession or the second? Is it worth it to attempt to lengthen your possession to get a better shot in, while giving your opponent more chances to stop you? When you can’t stop a card of your opponent, what card do you discard? While these questions aren’t gut-wrenching and will most likely be made fairly quickly, they still keep the card play from being obvious and for me at least, different than other games.

5.) Decks: There are ten countries currently featured in the game: Brazil, England, Germany, Italy, Japan, Argentina, Netherlands, France, Australia, and South Korea. I’ve only had the chance to play with two of them – but certainly see how they are subtly different. South Korea has more attack cards, with extra long range shot and higher Shoot cards. Italy has many more defense cards and several high Dribble cards. The number of types of cards is on the back of each box; but when I compared the decks side by side, I found the differences interesting but not compelling. In other words, I certainly don’t feel like I have to buy more than these two decks and will be perfectly content with them. Also, while the decks are different, I think both of them have at least a very comparable chance of winning the game, so I’m not sure grabbing the “Germany” deck will guarantee you victory. Still, it’s nice to see that the countries aren’t merely “cookie cutter” decks, and that there is some difference, even if it’s slight.

6.) Website: One can also head to www.powershotsoccer.com (graphics intensive), where they currently have a drawing to win one of 1,000 decks. There is also an introduction to the game, a way to form and join leagues, and other interesting information – especially if you are a soccer fan.

7.) Fun Factor: When I first read the rules for Powershot Soccer, I have to say that I wasn’t too enthralled about playing it, assuming that it was simply an item created to cash in on the world’s soccer fascination. But really, it’s a fun game, and it continually has grown on me. I enjoy the fast, fun play style and how it allows one to push their luck to a degree when making shots and going down the field.

I’m finding that the simplest sports games, such as Harry’s Grand Slam Baseball, are the ones that catch my attention and bring me the most joy in the fastest amount of time. Powershot Soccer has reached that niche for me in the soccer arena. There’s a bit of luck in which cards you draw, but for the most part it’s simply an excellent distilled version of soccer, one that is portable and entertaining. I hope to see more excellent games like this come out of Singapore, and I’ll keep this one active for a long time – World Cup or not!

Tom Vasel
“Real men play board games”
www.thedicetower.com