Catan for Windows 8

If you're into board games you've surely at least heard about Catan if you haven't got already tens of hours of gameplay alongside your friends.

If you want to experience the same thrills of the board game on your PC you can now play the Windows 8 version which comes with both the “Seafarers” and “Cities and Knights” expansions available as in-game purchases for even more adventures in the world of Catan.

For those of you that never heard of Catan, you should know that the rules of the game are quite simple and easy to understand. Your goal is to reach a specific amount of points by building roads, villages and cities.

To achieve your goal, you'll have to setup a strategy and place villages near all of the five resources in the game. Doing so, will ensure that you'll have all the resources needed to further expand your influence and eventually win the game.

Each turn depends on the dice roll, since that number will dictate who and what resources will receive. For example, if the number on the dice coincides with the number on a forest field all adjacent villages/cities will receive wood.

The same goes for any other resource in the game, so placing your villages at the intersection of different resource tiles will increase your chances of advancing rapidly. Of course, you will also have to be lucky enough to get the same dice numbers as your resource fields.

Trading is another aspect of the game which allows players to exchange various resources between them at the desired rate. If you can't get the resource needed from other players, you can always exchange with the bank at a 4:1 rate. This rate can be lowered if you own the specific trading port for your resource.

If the dice show 7 after a throw, the current player will be able to move the thief and steal a random resource from one of the other players. In addition to that, the thief will also block the field he's placed on preventing players adjacent to it to receive resources.

The thief can be moved when the number 7 shows on the dice as well as if using a Knight card. Knight cards can be played whenever you want and allow you to perform the same actions just like when the dice show 7. The more knights you play, the better, since they'll add up and award you the Largest Army card which will increase your basic score.

For those passionate about Catan the Windows 8 is a great way to play their favorite game on their PC or mobile device. The graphics and animations are great and the game also gives you the possibility to purchase its expansions and further increase play value.

On the other hand, newcomers will be able to quickly learn the rules of Catan thanks to the easy to understand tutorial and will immediately get immersed in this wonderful fantasy world.