Heroscape is one of my favorite games. It might very well be my favorite, except there are so many great games out there, how the heck could I pick just one? Still, it's pretty high on the list. I love the idea, the easy-to-play rules, and the fact that, unlike some games, it's not afraid to admit it's a toy.

I'm also a Marvel fan. Okay, maybe not so much recently, considering the rather horrible stories that have been coming out of Marvel. Still, there's a special place in my heart for The Hulk, Spidey, and good ol' Captain America. So naturally, when I heard there would be a Marvel version of Heroscape I was intrigued. I bought it and now that I've played it a few times, I feel confident enough to give it a review.

So how does it rate? A success. Mostly.

Heroscape Marvel is a smaller set than the original Heroscape Masterset. It has fewer figures (there are no squads) and a fraction of the terrain. It's a little cheaper than the Heroscape Masterset, but the box is still a little sparse. I expected as much though since I'm betting a sizable percentage of the budget for this game went to the licensing agreement with Marvel. Anyway, since it's a game of lone hero figures only, you really don't need that much terrain. There's more than enough to field every unit that comes in the box, if the mood strikes you. Plus, it comes with a kind of cool breakaway wall.

There's a single thin rulebook here that contains the rules for the basic game (just like in Heroscape, this is a simplified game for really young children to keep the game accessible), the master game, and a scenario section. The rules are streamlined and very easy. This is a game that can be taught in five minutes (if not quicker) and if you know anything about Heroscape, then you know how to play this.

There are five villains and five heroes included in the set. I have a few fannish type complaints with a few choices. I really don't like that Hulk and Abomination are basically the same unit with slightly different ratings and abilities. Same for Spidey and Venom. Since there's so few characters in the game, it'd be nice for more variety. It's almost like you're getting eight characters instead of ten. I like the Abomination (and Venom's okay, though not a big fan of the evil clone concept of a villain) and I understand that they picked popular characters that would be accessible beyond the comic buying audience, but I'm still a little disappointed.

The other fan-type complaint I have is about Doctor Doom. His biggest power is the ability to switch minds. True, that is a talent the Doctor has, but it's not his primary power. Seems odd to me to base his character around it. While I feel that the game does a good job overall of representing the rest of the characters as well as a light game like Heroscape can, Doom just doesn't feel like Doom to me.

The collapsible wall is also kind of cool until you realize it really doesn't serve much of a purpose. All the characters with the Superstrength icon easily have ways around or over it. Sure, it's fun to smash it, but not really necessary. A nice idea, but nothing special in execution.

These complaints out of the way, let's talk about the game itself. It's Heroscape basically, so I do like it. But the lack of interesting scenarios (due to the lack of terrain to build complex maps) and the lack of a good variety of characters takes a game that could've been great and makes it only good. Unlike the Heroscape Masterset, which plays great out of the box without expansion (though they do add a lot), Heroscape Marvel feels like a game that needs more.

So am I disappointed? No, but that's because to me, right now, Heroscape Marvel is basically an expansion for the Heroscape Universe. While not intended to be used together, they are easily compatible and so, for thirty bucks, I got some new terrain, a collapsible wall, and ten new hero units. That's a pretty solid value from a Heroscape player perspective.

However, if I were a Marvel fan and not a Heroscape fan, I would say this game is not as good as it should be. Sure, there are expansions on the way (that I'm looking forward to), but one can't help feel that it would've been nicer to increase the cost by another ten bucks and throw in a few more bits and pieces. I'm pretty sure that as more expansions appear, this game will become every bit as cool as a Heroscape and Marvel fan would want it to be, but for now, it's more Heroscape than Marvel, I'm afraid.

So, I would say for Heroscape fans, this is a great expansion (and standalone mini-game) to add to their collection. But for Marvel fans looking for something to replace their Heroclix obsession, or merely satisfy their desire to play a battle game with a Marvel theme, this is still a work in progress.