My wife and I picked up this game on a last minute stop at the local game store primarily based on the look and our impression of the game play from the pictures on the box. The three dimensional element really appealed to me as well. Having played tile-laying games such as Carcassonne before, we were really excited to give this game a try (my wife feverishly popping out all the tiles in the car on the way home ).

The first impression is that we were quite impressed by the tiles. They are quite hefty and sturdy and should last quite a long time. They have a somewhat unique shape - 3 connected hexes as you can see in the pictures above. The wooden huts, towers, and temples are sturdy too, although I would have liked to see some shapes that are a little more hut-like, etc. That and the color scheme struck me as slightly odd - it was a definite downer that my wife couldn't play with her favorite pieces (blue). In case a player needs a reminder, it also comes with a card for each player that outlines the 2 game phases.

The rules are simple - only 2 pages, front and back - but also allow for complex game-play in your tile placement and building strategies. I guage the simplicity of a game's rules by whether my wife can stand to listen to them all. She prefers to just start playing to learn it and if I can explain all the rules without her getting impatient it's quick to grasp.

Set-Up:
Unlike other games that we've played (like Puerto Rico), this game is pleasingly quick to set up. All you do is give each player their colored buildings - lots of huts, 3 temples, & 2 towers - (Rio Grande even includes a bag for each color to make it easy) and mix up the tiles into however many stacks you want (we played with 6). We Rock-Paper-Scissored who started and set-off.

Gameplay:
Gameplay is also pleasantly simple and quick. Each player's turn consists of two phases:
1) Draw and place a tile
2) Place a building
I'll address each phase in turn.

Placing Tiles:
Each tile has one hex with a volcano on it and two hexes with a variety of land types. The land types are Lagoon, Jungle, Field, Lagoon, Beach, and Rock. Tiles can have two hexes of the same type which can be a big boon for expanding your settlements in the building phase. Initially, you can only place tiles at "sea level" signifying that the volcanic island is just emerging from the ocean. Once you have at least three tiles placed, there is the potential to start building up as well. One of the key rules as you build up is that a tile cannot completely cover a single tile (this is described in the rules as the lava not being able to flow in the same direction. I found in explaining it to others that the tile overlap description works much better) and has to overlap at least 2 tiles. The volcano hex of the tile you are placing must be placed over an existing volcano on the first level as well. We'll come back to more on tile placement after we talk about some basics on building.

Building:
After placing your tile you can add to your settlements in one of 4 ways...
1) Place a hut on any unoccupied hex (it does not have to be on the
tile you just played)
2) Place a temple on an unoccupied land hex adjacent to a settlement
that has at least 3 huts
3) Place a tower on an unoccupied hex at least 3 levels high and
adjacent to one of your settlements
4) Potentially the most interesting, you can choose a land type that
you have surrounding one of your settlements and expand. This
allows you to place huts in ALL of the hexes around that settlement
of the same type. So if you have three rock hexes bordering a
settlement you'd place huts on all of them. AND you place as many
huts on each hex as it has levels! Large settlements can grow
almost geometrically this way. You have to be careful not to run
out of huts however as it could lead you to lose the game!

So your turn goes quickly and nobody has to sit and wait for long until their turn.

You can win in one of three ways:
1) Have more temples (if tied, compare towers, then huts) when you run out of tiles
2) Place all of two of your building types
3) Your opponent(s) can't build anything (rare unless they run out of
huts)

There are ample opportunities for strategy and different styles of play - from friendly games where each sticks to their own to more aggressive play where you really go after the other players. When you place a tile, it can wipe out parts of settlements (never an entire one) and return huts to either your or your opponent's supply [EDIT: The huts get removed from the game and do NOT get returned to their owner. Thanks Will!]. You cannot lay a tile over a temple or tower.

Initially, your biggest challenge is to learn the ins and outs of tile placement, since you need to plan ahead to be able to level up and place your towers. Also, each level gets more challenging to place since to place a level two tile you need to place several level one tiles. Level three you have to think about getting at least 2 level two tiles in place, etc... Additionally, the temples and towers limit placement too. Later you begin to focus on the impact of the tiles on yours and your opponents settlements as well.

Summary and Impressions:
The nice thing about this game is its ability to be played on multiple levels. It also is a quick game that can be completed in 10-15 minutes with 2 players (but can be played with up to 4). People usually want to play several games in a row. It is easy to get the basics and not intimidating to newer gamers. It is simple to learn but takes longer to master. Mind you that I have only played this game with two players. I imagine the strategic options only increase with 3-4. In the games that we've played, I've noticed that the strategy continues to deepen. My wife isn't as keen on this game as I am (Me 8.5/10, Her 6/10), but I'll keep her playing!