Ticket to Ride Reviews

• A step above the run of the mill games

  
  By A1ZO9D554VQO9F on 2005-03-10
  This is an excellent game for 2-5 players, and especially for kids. I was initially put off by the theme and the mentioning of winning the $1 million dollar prize on the advertisement. I immediately thought there would be paper money involved and it would be like Monopoly where I would have to be a banker,,,and yech. But no, I was WRONG. There is no fake money involved! Just little cards with different colors. Easy, but challenging. It is a game where you can be nice and not mess with your opponents supposed destination, or you can try and block them. You get points according to the tracks you lay and connections you make.
  But please, I love Amazon, but their Days of Wonder games are all overpriced. You can get this and their other games much cheaper on designated game sites. Do a search, read other reviews, boardgamegeek is a wonderful place to look and compare games. This was one of the first games I bought and I just keep finding more neat games to buy that you can't find here.
  
  

• Fun for beginners and gamers, kids and grownups

  
  By A11AR2A62AXQI8 on 2006-07-16
  Every year I buy my daughter at least three board games: one for Christmas, one for Three Kings Day and one for her birthday. It has become a tradition we both enjoy. I purchased TTR after reading excellent recommendations from other gamer parents on Boardgamegeek. I was not disappointed.
  
  The game components are well made and beautiful, and the box is designed to store them well. This is very important, as the game has lots of pieces: cards, colorful plastic trains and wooden marker tokens.
  
  Each turn lets you make decisions, play is never merely mechanical. Each time you play you will be able to choose one of three different actions: claim a train route, collect train cards or gather destination tickets. Each of those actions implies further decisions: Do you take a red train or a blue train? The short Duluth or Phoenix? Risk the big payoff tickets or keep only the safer, smaller points destinations?
  
  The instructions are simple enough for non-gamers and children, but game play is engaging for all levels of play. The game accommodates both laid back and cutthroat gaming styles.
  
  If your family games you should add this to your collection. If you are new to gaming and need a place to start, this is a fine first buy.
  
  

• One of the best games - ever!

  
  By A3QSXILNE7LMD6 on 2005-04-13
  When I first heard about Days of Wonder's newest game, Ticket to Ride (Days of Wonder, 2004 - Alan Moon), I was excited. But how could I not be - for all of Days of Wonders games so far have been fabulous, and it seems that each successive game gets better and better. And Alan Moon with a train game (shades of Union Pacific) sounded like a winning combination. I had an opportunity to play the final version of the game, and was quite impressed with how the game looked.
  
  And is the game any good? The short answer is that once you play this game, you'll never play TransAmerica again. It's a fantastic medium-weight game - one that plays equally well with two to five players. The components are superb, the artwork is great, the game is downright fun (and nasty sometimes), and the total package is a very strong contender for the Spiel des Jahres 2004. (which it won!) After my first playing, I ranked it an 8; but after multiple playings the rating moved up to a 9, then a 9.5 - and if I keep playing the game at this rate - may move into my top ten list. Game play is very tight, and I found that game scores can run very close - making for an exciting game, all the way down to the finish.
  
  Each player receives forty-five train cars in one color, and places a matching round token of that color on a scoring track. A large board is placed in the middle of the table, with a map of America (circa late 1800's) superimposed upon it. Thirty-six cities are there, each connected by one or two "railroad lines". These lines are made up of one to six spaces, and are one of eight colors: purple, yellow, black, white, green, red, blue, brown, and gray (neutral color). A deck of "tickets" is shuffled, and three are dealt to each player. Players may discard one of them, but must keep at least two of them. Each ticket has two cities on them, and a point value that a player will receive if they connect those two cities, or lose if they don't connect the cities. The remainder of the ticket cards are shuffled and placed in a face down pile next to the board. A pile of train cards is shuffled, and four are dealt to each player. The remainder are shuffled and placed next to the board, then five of them are turned over and placed face-up next to the draw pile. The player who has traveled the most goes first, and then play continues clockwise around the table.
  
  On a turn, a player may do one of three things. They may draw two cards, one at a time from either the face-up cards and/or the draw pile. Each card shows a different color of train car - matching the eight different colored spaces on the board. There is twelve of each color car in the deck. There are also eighteen "locomotive" cards, which function as wild cards. When a player draws a face-up card, the card is replaced immediately before they draw another card. A locomotive card counts as two cards if drawn when face-up, but only one if drawn when face-down. If there are ever three locomotive cards face-up at any time, all five cards are immediately discarded, and five new cards are drawn. If the cards run out, the discard pile is shuffled back to form a new draw deck.
  
  The second thing a player may do is to draw three ticket cards. They must keep at least one of them, but have the option of keeping all of them, if they like. The others (if any), are discarded.
  The third thing a player may do is play cards to place their train cars on the board. A player may play one through six cards of the same color (including wild cards), to place the same amount of train cards on a corresponding line on the board. For example, Las Vegas is connected to Salt Lake City by an orange line consisting of three spaces. Three orange cards must be played to put three trains of that player's color on those spaces. No more players could then place anything between those two cities, and if players want to connect those two cities with their lines, they'll have to go around the long way (if possible). Gray lines can have any color cards played to place trains on them, but the cards played must match the number of spaces in the gray line, and all of the cards must be the same color. When placing trains, the player doing so receives points - 1 point for one train placed, 2 points for two trains, 4 points for three trains, 7 points for four, 10 points for five, and 15 points for six trains. Some cities have two lines connecting them, both of which can be used in a four or five-player game. In a two or three-player game, however, once one of these lines has been used, the other cannot.
  
  When one player, after taking their turn, is down to two train cars or less, the final round begins. Starting with the player to their left, each player has one final turn, and then the game is over. The trains on the board are counted to make sure that the points were totaled correctly during the game, and then ticket cards are revealed. If players can trace a continuous path between the two cities on their card with their color train cars only, they receive the points, and move their tokens accordingly. Otherwise, they lose the points, and must move their token down the scoring track that many points. The player who has the longest continuous track also gets ten points. The player with the most points is the winner!
  
  Some comments on the game...
  
  1.) Components: As usual, the components for Ticket to Ride are supreme. Days of Wonder has, by far, more superior components for their games than any other company. The board is fantastic, with a nice map, and when the train cars - nice plastic cars in bright colors - are placed on it, the whole thing looks pretty fantastic! The cards are of the highest quality, and are about half the size of normal playing cards. Each color card not only has a different train car on it, but they have symbols in the corners to help differentiate between the colors (good for the color blind). Everything fits into a wonderful plastic insert that is in a beautiful, sturdy box - the same size as Days of Wonder's other Big Box Games.
  
  2.) Rules: The rules are only four pages - large, colorful, illustrated pages - but only four! The game is being printed in many languages - and has the distinction of being the first major game release that I know of that has been produced in Korea, something which is rather dear to my heart. The game can be explained in about 5 minutes, and I am very pleased at how easy it is for people to pick up. Even people who have a hard time understanding simple games ("No, John, you cannot attack people in Settlers of Catan!") had an easy time picking up the game - and I was amazed at how fast strategies were picked up.
  
  3.) Strategy: When I first was taught the game by Eric Hautemont, CEO of Days of Wonder, I didn't think that strategy would be that important. Then, he beat us, scoring 162 points to my 82, and my friends 54. I was floored! I thought that I was doing well, during the game, but realized several things that I missed afterwards. I found out in the game that there are different strategies, and was impressed with how they differed. One can ignore their ticket cards and just try to place long trains, hoping to get a lot of points. Or one can try to complete as many ticket cards as possible, not worrying too much about how long of trains they place on the board. Then, there is the middle ground - but is a compromise of the two strategies enough to win? Not to mention the fact that players must watch other players, and occasionally place trains to mess them up.
  
  4.) Cutthroat: This gives the game a real "cut throat" atmosphere. Sometimes the best move for a player is to place train cars between cities they don't care that much about - just to stop another player - either from getting the longest chain of cars, or completing their tickets. This can cause some enmity, but it's all in good fun, and I really enjoyed the player interaction - from taking cards to placing trains.
  
  5.) Holding cards: It's fun to get a big hand of cards (there is no upper limit). Players try to hoard cards so that they can place long trains of cars, scoring the big points. Also, players must always keep in mind that everyone else is watching them, trying to determine where they are going. The longer a player keeps the cards in their hand, the less they tip their hand. However, if one player suddenly uses up all their trains, causing the final round, and you are stuck with a huge hand of cards, it can be quite devastating. My wife found this out the hard way. She was about to connect three cities that would complete two of her tickets - probably winning the game. Another friend of mine, in the same game, had the same problem. Either one of them could have won the game, but because they held the cards just one turn to long - they lost. Of course, I was the evil guy who caused the game to end, but I got my just desserts, losing by only one point to yet another player - and the winning point was caused by her having the longest continuous train of cars.
  
  6.) Fun Factor: And yet, even with the bluffing, and the other little nasty tactics, the game is extremely fun. The decisions are short, causing the game to move quickly, but can be quite stressful at times. Yet these decisions really make the game fun! Blocking someone else off, using your own lines, pulling two locomotives from the draw pile, or finally connecting those two cities - all of this adds up to a wonderful time of fun!
  
  7.) Time and Players: The game runs quickly, because the decisions are important, but don't bog the game down to much. I was impressed with how well the game scaled, but found that the two-player game was much different than a five-player one. Both were fun, but needed different tactics.
  
  As you can see, I really enjoyed this game. I think it has strong possibilities of being one of the best games of the year. Alan Moon has always been one of my favorite designers, and this is one of his best games in years. Days of Wonder has put a lot of time and effort into producing this game, and it shows. When I first played TransAmerica, I thought that it was a boring game -what was the point, and where was the strategy? Fortunately, the strategy and fun in this game are wonderful. I don't need a "dumbed-down" game to introduce new folks to the wonderful world of board games. I can just use games like this - tremendous, fun games, filled with tactical choices and enjoyable times.
  
  Tom Vasel
  
  

• Why not 5 stars?

  
  By A32EBQDMOPEJHE on 2005-11-09
  THis game only got 4 due to the luck factor. No matter how well you play, you could just draw bad cards everytime. That is it. Other than that, this is a wonderful, wonderful game. This IS the perfect game to get people into Eurogames like Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne. Easy to explain - 5 minutes tops. Fast to play - 1 hour. Good strategy. Good theme. You even feel like you are being educated at least a little bit in the area of US geography.
  
  Bottom Line: Best family board game in existance. Anyone can learn to play it relatively quickly.
  
  

• A great family game

  
  By A38TKDFNDRDLOI on 2006-08-12
  My daughters (ages 8, 8, and 7) beg me every weekend to play this game. It is the right level for them: complex enough to be challenging, but not hard enough to discourage. And I am glad they are learning some American and Canadian geography along the way!
  
  
• Ticket To Ride is clever while being fun
  By A31VIJ4D3JYBVJ on 2004-12-01
  Ticket to ride can be played from 3 players on up and has quite a bit of strategy needed to win. However if you are young, you can still play by tying to create just the trips you get. The game will start slow, but the choice of one of three actions you can do can make turns happen quickly once everyone understands the basic rules.
  
  As you get better at the game you find that there several different methods you can use to win, such as picking up extra trips, having the longest continuous train(or route). Hiding where you want to go, or trying to create the longing train from several directions at once.
  
  With all the pieces in the game (each player starts with 45 train pieces) there is the possibility that you may loose some of the them. Its all ok as long as everyone starts with the same number of train elements. You can modify the game to make it go faster by having less pieces be used and can even do a team type game where you split a color between two team mates.
  
  The counter board for the score that goes around the table is clever and works very well. It makes keeping track of the score counting easier..
  
  Its a very good game to have.
  
  
• Outstanding strategy game that's easy to learn, tough to master
  By A1GALZCXD8FHOR on 2007-01-03
  After noting that Ticket to Ride continues to be one of the highest-rated board games at numerous board gamer sites, we bought a copy.
  
  The board gamers are right. This German-made game beats familiar games like Monopoly and Risk hands-down.
  
  OBJECT
  
  Each player must complete a series of rail lines spanning cities based upon destination cards drawn at the beginning (and throughout) the game. Each destination carries points related to the length of the line, so a New York to Los Angeles line would score more points than Chicago to Boston. Incomplete destinations count against players at the end of the game, so completing them, even through circuitous routes is a must. The exciting part of the game comes from not knowing who is completing his or her lines, plus the ability to overlap lines, stymieing other players.
  
  Game play takes between 30 and 90 minutes depending on the number of players and the speed at which they make decisions.
  
  GAME PIECES
  
  High quality throughout, the game includes:
  - A fold-out board of the United States and southern Canada, plus a scoring track around the edge. The cities on the board connect through colored track lines, each line between one and six units in length.
  - A set of destination cards showing lines that must be completed.
  - Five sets of forty-five train pieces. Each player takes one same-color set of trains.
  - A set of colored train cards that correspond to the colored lines that connect cities.
  - Scoring markers that correspond to a player's train color.
  
  PLAY
  
  Each player is dealt three destination cards in the beginning and must keep at least two. These form the basis for their lines. They also receive four train cards. To claim a line, players must create sets of the same color and number of train cards as the line connecting two cities. (The color of the lines has nothing to do with the player's train color, but the cards they have in hand.)
  
  Each player, in turn, can perform one of three actions:
  1. Draw two train cards per turn from either the set of five placed up for all players to see, or blind from the train card deck. (One card if one of the showing wild cards is chosen.)
  2. Play a set of matching train card colors to claim a line between two cities.
  3. Get dealt a new set of three destination cards, keeping at least one.
  
  Players score points when they claim a line of track connecting two cities, the length of the track yielding proportionately higher scores. Scoring markers are moved around the 100-point scoring guide on the board perimeter.
  
  When one player has laid all his or her train pieces, the other players get one last turn. Players then reveal their destination cards and add (or subtract, for incomplete lines) to their total. The longest continuous length of claimed track scores additional points, too. Highest point total wins.
  
  REVIEW
  
  Pros:
  A gorgeous, well-made game that's easy on the eyes, Ticket to Ride combines simple rules and nail-biting game play with a significant level of strategy. You can't ask for more in a board game.
  
  All ages will love this game. Even children as young as six can play since the rules are simple.
  
  Will please folks sick of the usual board games everyone has.
  
  Game play is short enough to allow multiple sessions of play.
  
  The manufacturer has other games in the Ticket to Ride series that work off the same basic gaming system, though with differing degrees of skill (through additional rules and trickier city layouts). Expansion kits exist, too, so players familiar with the game can get an additional kick out of their existing set. Lastly, an online, multi-player, interactive version of the game can be played through the manufacturer's Web site.
  
  Cons:
  The manufacturer lists a game session as lasting 30-60 minutes. We've found it closer to 45-90 minutes. That's as much of a con as this game has!
  
  OVERALL
  
  Buy Ticket to Ride. As someone who loves board games, I found this to be as good as it gets. Nothing disappoints. Everyone who plays the game wants to know where to get a copy. Ticket to Ride has won numerous Game of the Year honors around the world, and it's easy to see why. Absolutely worthy of five stars.
  
  
• Beyond Monopoly
  By A4MYMNSLTN0J9 on 2004-12-12
  This deserves its Game of the Year award at this year's Spiele. I think it's the best intro to the "European" or "Family Strategy" board game category since Settlers of Catan. It's less complex than Monopoly, takes less than an hour to play generally, and teaches a little geography to boot. Like most games in the category it does not suffer from the 'behind the eight ball' syndrome and become boring if you're losing. Players usually are running neck and neck up until the final moves.
  
  If you're a gamer and haven't checked out some of the great new board games that have appeared over the last decade, this is a perfect introduction.
  
  
• The best boardgame out there
  By A3IQQJPGZ2RDN7 on 2005-01-19
  This is a great game. If your paragon of boardgames is still Monopoly, then you are in for a pleasant surprise. Far superior games are now available. There is a quiet revolution in boardgaming happening right now.
  
  Ticket to Ride is one of the best of these new games. My wife and I love this game. It is very engaging, and pretty short. It gets tense toward the end. It plays well with 2 players as well as 3 to 5 players. It's also great for kids, to teach the geography of the US. This game won the coveted Game of the Year award (the German "Spiel des Jahres" award) for 2004, and it certainly deserves it.
  
  Note: There is a possibility for some competitive, cutthroat playing but we don't play it that way.
  
  If you like this game, also check out these others, which are also listed on Amazon:
  
  Settlers of Catan
  Carcassonne
  
  
  
• Great Game, a new world of family gaming!
  By A2HTFMEIMF6RGZ on 2005-06-24
  For those who say Yuck! I hate Boardgames and are thinking of Monopoly, Candyland, Life or think back to overly comlicated games that were played in dark and dreary game stores for days on end, well... Welcome to a new brand of REAL,ENJOYABLE, and EASY to learn games. Often called Euro-Games becasue of their European origin these games are "strategy" games that you can read the rules and begin playing in less the a half hour and have played the game in less then hour.
  
  Ticket to Ride is a wonderful game and you will be up and playing within minuted of opening the box. You will NEVER touch Monopoly again once you played this one.
  
  
• Ideal combination of strategy and luck
  By A22R8ETJ6FWOBF on 2006-04-17
  Like most of the "classic" games (Risk, Monopoly, etc.), this game is relatively easy to learn and has that elusive perfect combination of strategy and luck that makes it so much fun to play. There are also several different legitimate strategies you can use, which always makes for a more interesting game. Unlike Risk and Monopoly, though, it doesn't take a week to play -- more like an hour. This game works well with lots of different ages and groups and is almost as much fun to play with two players as it is with four or five. This is my new favorite game!
  
  
• Excellent game
  By A1EVP114DB9UVQ on 2005-10-26
  This is an excellent game whether you have two players or fi ve. My boyfriend and I enjoy playing it together, and the two player game goes quickly, always less than an hour. When there are two players you can really have fun trying to get as many routes as possible. When there are more than that, it is challenging getting the starting set of routes. You need to change your strategy based on how many people are playing.
  
  The rules are very easy and quick to learn. Since the playing cards are all visual, children can easily learn this game as well. I am very eager to teach my 9 year old niece this game.
  
  We never get bored with this game.
  
  
• Awsome!
  By on 2006-10-20
  This is my favorite game of all time. This is the kind of game my family and i love to play at our beach house every morning. It's a great family game. Really for no one over mabye seven. I recomend this to any family who loves a great game to play with the whole family.
  
  
• Outstanding Game, Can't Go Wrong With This!!
  By A2SQ3PPVMGUHZ8 on 2005-06-02
  This is an absolutely wonderful game. I own about 300 games, and would easily put this up in the top ten of them. It's great for kids and adults, it's easy to learn and explain, it looks great, it doesn't take too long, it's a great combination of luck and strategy, it plays great with 2 through 5 people .... I could go on and on. But why take up your time when you could be BUYING THIS GAME!! Congratulations to Amazon and Toys R Us for noticing this gem.
  
  
• Great change from the norm
  By A13I536FVI2ANY on 2006-03-11
  We have only played a few times, but have really enjoyed it and like that it can be played with only 2 players. The instructions seem complex at first, but once you get going it's really fairly simple to play. However it isn't simple to win -- it takes quite a bit of strategy and isn't just about luck.
  
  
• fun family game
  By A3SQ7TEOC66YX0 on 2007-01-03
  Fun game for the family (10 and up?). Mostly a good mix of randomness and strategy. At first it seemed too random for my competitive nature, but once we really understood the game, more strategies became apparent. I'd guess ages 10 and up would enjoy, perhaps some younger kids too. I don't think I'd enjoy playing with younger kids though because it's a long game (at least an hour) and I play to win. My son is 13 and can handle that (and beat me).
  
  
• Great Game for kids and adults
  By A3UCF7AXY1ZMU6 on 2005-01-18
  Ticket to Ride is a great game weather you are looking for a 30 minute deal, or an hour-long challenge. This game is very easy to grasp and the possibilities are endless.
  
  
• Superb game
  By A3C927HK1T5LF7 on 2005-02-02
  I can't say enough good things about this game. The rules are simple & quality of the game pieces is very high.
  
  Despite its recommendation of 8 yrs+, my 6-yr (train buff) son loves it. If you are trying to decide: The child needs limited reading skills, i.e., to read a city name on a card and associate with the name on the map (you can help them and the game still can be fun).
  
  This is the first adult-type game I can play with my son. The 1st few games we played with open cards and I had to help him, but he soon learned enough to make his own decisions. Game play is fast and we often play 2 games in a row.
  
  Although simple to play, there is much strategy to the game. My son & I continue to hone our skills (this keeps the game interesting, even for me). The game actually has an element of excitement when your near the end and wonder whether you'll be able to complete all your routes. We sometimes play day after day w/o getting bored.
  
  As a parent, another nice thing about the game is you can unobtrusively let your child win without them knowing you did so (it's not like most kid's games that are purely based on chance and are therefore are "hard to lose.")
  
  The main educational element is that game play requires thinking about the future and visualizing how to route your trains (how many games that a 6 yr old can play require such thinking?). It also teaches basic US/Southern Canada geography. The only downside is that game requires much card shuffling. Despite that the cards are laminated, we play so much we may wear them out.
  
  
• Great Fun
  By ARQH81U5EITMO on 2008-01-18
  Played this game first with our daughter and son-in-law. Good way to spend a cold Sunday afternoon. However, they had the Europe version, we ordered the US. The Europe version was a little more challenging, more interesting. (Tunnels and ferries.) If playing with younger children, the U.S. version would be great. We preferred the Europe version.
  
  
• Easy to learn, fun to master
  By A1JSBNV06JOVZV on 2005-02-24
  This is a "Best Game" winner for a reason. It plays equally well with two to four players. You can play five, but the gameplay gets a little long, and your desired paths are more easily clogged up.
  
  We LOVE this game! It's well made, with an oversize game board map of U.S. and Canada. You get plastic trains in five colors, wagon cards (used to claim your routes), and secret destination tickets which score you bonus points.
  
  The game has subtle intricacies, and you'll have fun developing your own strategies. You get points by claiming routes between cities. Points are somewhat exponential--a two-wagon route is worth two points while a six-wagon route lands you 15 points.
  
  You also score with destination tickets. Complete your destinations and earn the points (ranging from four points to 21 for a cross-country route). But, if you don't connect the two cities on your destination ticket, those points are DEDUCTED from your score! Players reveal their destination tickets at the end of the game. You can also try to foil your opponents by claiming routes that interfere with where you think they are trying to go.
  
  The game maker, Days of Wonder, provides a lively online gaming community. You get an online code with your purchase, so you can play this fun game (and other Days games) online whenever you want. This is an awesome feature we use almost daily. The game is quite popular in Europe. I once played an online game (I am in U.S.) with a French person, German, Australian, and Pakistani. What fun!
  
  
• Great introduction to European style games
  By A1UPDQSXP4U93H on 2006-02-15
  Ticket to Ride is a fun, quick connection game that's suitable for ages 10 and up, but it's a very enjoyable game for adults alone. Using plastic train cards, players attempt to connect cities on cards they hold and block other players' routes. The game can be played in either a friendly non-confrontational manner, or very strategically and aggressively. Ticket to Ride, though designed by an American and published by an America/French company, is an example of a European-style strategy boardgame. If you like this game, you might want to learn more about the hobby. Boardgamegeek.com is a great source of information, though maybe overwhelming at first. There are also a number of great boardgame podcasts, including The Dice Tower at www.dicetower.com. Happy gaming!
  
  
• A game that's actually fun for children AND adults!
  By A14EXWG27AVV on 2006-12-19
  My brother bought this game for my dds. Since receiving it a short time ago, we have already played a dozen times! What makes this game so fun is that it is completely different every time we play! The game is also unpredicatable up until the very end...not like those board games where one person pulls ahead, and everyone else loses interest! We are definitely hooked!!
  
  
• Ticket to Ride is great
  By A3FYUF51HSLYP5 on 2007-03-29
  This is a great family game! We stayed up till 2am many nights playing over Christmas break. Games last about an hour and it is very fun. It combines a lot of strategy with some luck of the cards. Highly recommend
  
  
• Fun for almost all ages
  By A27H220M6SP7FS on 2007-05-13
  This is a great game and is easy for anyone who can count up to 6. So you should be able to find someone to play with at all times. I've owned this game for 2 years and anytime we have someone over, they suggest we play it, nobody has had a negative experience with it.
  
  
• A Shout Out to My Peeps on the Portland to San Fran Express
  By A1VZ5GAQS4MEXA on 2007-07-06
  There are enough reviews already, so here's my bare opinion:
  
  Ticket to Ride is hands-down, by 3-car lengths, without question, without dispute, and without peer, one of the Greatest Boardgames of All Time. The world is a better place because of this game.
  
  
• Most fun my daughter and I have ever had playing a game
  By A2DZE5GDQPTGTL on 2007-10-31
  I had gotten bored with my solo computer games so I started researching board games for 2 or more players based primarily simple rules, but layers of strategy and less than an hours duration. I don't like games that have a heavy emphasis on luck.
  Although the rules were a little obscure at first, we figured it out very quickly and had a great first game. My 16 y/o daughter beat the pants off me.
  This is the most fun board game I have ever played.
  
  
• A favorite with many
  By A2RIAXGSBP65BJ on 2008-03-09
  This is a great medium concentration game. The strategy is not too tricky, but challenging enough to hold your interest. Basically, you either collect or play train cards on your turn. You need to have the same number and color to play on a route, and then you connect your routes to match the bonus on your ticket. The score for routes increases by the number of train cards needed, from 1 point for 1 to 15 points for 6. My only complaint is that there are a few tickets that might be weighted a little high and lucking into one of these on the initial draw gives a slight advantage. You get a higher bonus to connect farther apart cities, but some of these have longer routes between them which give you a bonus already. Overall, a solid and very fun game.
  
  I have not yet had the chance to play it with 2, but I know from experience that it works equally well with 3, 4 or 5.
  
  
• Ticket to Ride Board Game Review
  By A1FCUW0DARO1TH on 2008-04-17
  The game design is excellent; learning to play requires under five minutes! There is plenty of subtle strategy for advanced board gamers. You can play it with children of 8 years or more I believe and they would enjoy the game as well. Porbably one of the top board games in the last 20 years.
  
  Having said this, there is one key defect: the cards are too small and are also wearing out quickly. I refuse to buy another entire game just to acquire a new set of cards. The game mfr. has to resolve this issue pretty soon or the good will of the customer base will be lost.
  
  
• My son's favorite!
  By A1LLSI3OXLKYHA on 2005-04-16
  My 10 year old son and I are crazy about board games. Since we got this one the others have been gathering dust. We play at least once a week, and the rest of the week he's strategizing for the next time we'll play. Not only is it a fantastic lesson on urban planning but also geography. I highly recommend this game for a great family experience!
  
  
• Geogrophy and strategy in one game!
  By A76MLK2ZYP7QH on 2006-12-17
  This game is great for just about all ages. It teaches (some) geography with the states board layout, and also teaches how to stratagize. Players must decide on each turn to collect cards or play cards. Great family play.
  
  

• Ticket to Ride - Europe
• Ticket to Ride: Marklin Edition
• ticket to ride switerland
• Ticket To Ride Nordic Countries

• Ticket To Ride USA 1910 Expansion
• Carcassonne Game
• The Settlers of Catan
• Ticket to Ride - Europe
• Rio Grande Games Puerto Rico