You would need to live under a rock to not know about Ticket To Ride. Here is a game that remains a standard amongst hobbyists, and has started to wiggle its way into the mainstream as well. With simple rules that can be explained in a manner of minutes, the game can be played with just about anyone, but the depth, tension, and brinkmanship assure that gamers can also come away satisfied.

Essentially, TtR is a set-collecting games. Sets are used to claim routes between cities on a map of the USA, thereby scoring points and fulfilling secret goals, or "tickets" that count as points for or against you at the end of the game.

The Good News

Simple To Learn I have yet to play this game with someone who could not pick up the rules within a turn. The game boasts about three pages of very well-explained rules, with lots of examples and illustrations. You can teach this game to your parents, and they will most likely enjoy it.

It Looks Fantastic Days of Wonder consistently produces the nicest looking games out there, and Ticket To Ride is one of their best, rich and colorful without being gaudy. This goes for all the versions of the game.

Tough Choices Despite its simplicity, the game constantly presents the player with tough decisions to make. Should I draw another card, setting me up for a later set, or should I claim the route now, to keep someone else from getting it? Every turn will be something of a dilemma, and there is no guarantee that it will pan out. Not only that, but you will never have enough time to do everything you want to do. (I should point out that I have one friend who doesn't like the game for this reason; she simply finds it too tense.)

Scales Very Well The box says it can play 2-5, and that's absolutely right. The 2 and 3 player game only utilize one of each of the double routes, so the tightness of the board is maintained in spite of low player numbers. The 4 and 5 player games can get very tight, and different strategies must be employed, but the game remains a keeper for any number.

Highly Expandable I would recommend that EVERY player of this game purchase the USA 1910 expansion, which pretty much just adds new tickets to the game, as well as a new deck of full-sized cards. Also, the Switzerland map expansion has gotten good reports, though I haven't played it. The other versions of the game (Europe and Marklin) are highly regarded as well. I have only played Europe, but it remains a tense, exciting game with new choices and strategies to employ. (Some may feel fleeced at having to pay for a new game, but I love the core system enough to buy EVERY version of this game, as I eventually plan to. No other game holds that appeal for me.)

Online Support The online version of the game is excellent, and included in every DoW game is an online code to provide for six free months of access. I suggest you take advantage of it, as it can hone your strategy very well, and also serves as a good introduction to the Europe version.

Highly Addictive Like so much Slurm, you will have a hard time satisfying your cravings with this one. I was AWFUL when I first started to play, but I honestly could not get enough of it, playing online and with friends. I'm decent now, but I honestly rarely say "no" to a round of TtR.

The Bad News (Note that both these problems are solved with the USA 1910 expansion, which is why it is so indispensable)

Tiny Cards I rarely second-guess DoW's design choices, but I must here. The little cards are irritating to me and my big hands. This is corrected in all later versions of TtR, which makes me wonder why it hasn't be changed in this version yet. (No doubt to sell more copies of 1910.)

Tickets Are A Little Unbalanced When you play a lot, you will begin to notice some trends in the tickets. They tend to follow down the same corridors, and can exclude some cities entirely (for example, Las Vegas doesn't appear on any ticket in the original game). Not only that, but a highly seasoned player will have an advantage over noobs, because they will recognize what routes are being attempted by the other players. Adding 1910 doubles the number of tickets, adding much more variety and making it much more difficult to program or memorize destinations.

The Bottom Line
This is a fantastic game. For those who play games for the social aspect, as well as the strategy, this is one that is unbeatable. Whenever people ask me what my favorite game is, this one gets the vote without any hesitation. If you don't own it already, you are doing yourself a disservice.