Customer Reviews

Around the World in 80 Days

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We just bought this from a local toystore and have played it three times in the first 24 hours of owning it! We homeschool, so we are always looking for fun ways to expand our knowledge. The first time we played it, it took 2 hours rather than the 30-60 estimated. There were four of us playing; the larger the group, the longer each round is. I'm sure we have missed a few of the fine points, but we had a lot of fun. Our 7 1/2 year old played right along with the rest of us, but needed some help to read the event cards. Don't miss the detail that you can buy discarded travel cards and event cards for 2 gold pieces.

I recommend this game for families who are interested in geography. It is worth the price. When you are tired of it or your kids outgrow it, donate it to a school, church, or homeless shelter. I'm sure they will enjoy it too. We are all citizens of the world.

Around the World in 80 Days is a great family game. The rules are a bit confusing at first but once one figures them out the game is a blast.

The aim of the game is to race around the world using a combination of train and ship travel cards as well as special travel cards. The winning player is the one who completes the journey in the least days as long as he/she doesn't come in last on their own.

This game is a lot of fun because it is often decided in the last few rounds.

The game is family friendly because there is a fair amount of luck although careful planning can mitigate this somewhat.

The game is very educational because it is very close to Jules Verne's book. So often we are used to movies "based on" a book but the movies don't feel like the book. This game feels like the book!

The cards and pieces seem very durable.

Overall, this game if 5 stars for what it is. It's not the deepest strategy game in the world but doesn't pretend to be either. Hard core game geeks may not want to play this amongst each other but could do worse than sharing this with their casual gamer friends. In addition, the artwork is simply stunning which greatly adds to the game's enjoyment. So, read the book and play the game or vice versa!

We boardgame a lot and sometimes we have exactly six players. I can think of only a handful of perfect boardgames for six and 'Around the World in 80 Days' is one of them. You start in London and instead of trying to get as many victory points you are trying to use up as few days as possible to travel (the track is around the outside of the board). Journeying from city to city generally take two train cards (numbers on them represent days travelled), two boat cards, or a combination. More if you are on the last leg of the journey. Player turn order gives you a pick of one of the cards but it's also associated with a special action (e.g.: first pick next turn; move a day-stealing detective; get money; special action card). And special actions are where it's at. An action card deck can give special aid or set all or nearly everyone back when a storm takes place. I fully recommend this game for all.

The game is attractive and professionally put together. However, after reading and re-reading the directions over and over, we gave up, put the game back in the box and decided to return it to Amazon. We are 6 college educated adults, imagine kids trying to figure it out!

I am certain this game would be fine if the manufacturer re-wrote the directions.

This game is really nice to look at while you're playing it. That's about all I can say for it. Otherwise, it's just a chase your opponent around the board type of game. It didn't engage my imagination at all and there were really no tough decisions to be made. I also couldn't really see that there was any kind of strategy that you could have to help you win. All in all, I've played much better Rio Grande games. If you want a Rio Grande game, buy Puerto Rico instead of this one.