"Settlers of Catan" at first glance looks and sounds like a nerdy game that will be difficult to follow and even more difficult to enjoy (unless you're a nerd of course). When I was first introduced to the game I was sceptical, expecting that I would take a long time to understand what was going on. With hindsight this was probably because my boyfriend tried to explain all the rules before we began, a necessary step that never fails to baffle new players and make them wonder if they've made the right decision to play and sometimes question whether they've accidentally joined some sort of cult without realising (this was my initial thought and certainly it seemed the same for my mum when I tried to introduce her to the world of Catan).

When I began playing however, the rules and aims of the game began to make a lot more sense. There was a handy reference card to remind me which resources were needed to buy certain items in the game (such as a settlement or a development card) and consequently how much these items contributed to my quest to win the game. I won my first game however I probably would not have realised it had I not been with experienced players. In a group of people completely new to the game, it is probably possible for everyone to play and not even realise for a couple of hours that someone has won, however this adds to the experience of the game when it is eventually established who the winner is.

For those of you who are not familiar with "Settlers of Catan", I apologise for being vague on how exactly the game works. As you can probably tell from what I've wrote above, it can be quite a challenge to explain how the game works, even with the board and all the pieces set out on a table. The easiest way I can explain it is as a unique cross between Monopoly and Happy Families, great fun to play and well worth the effort of trying to get my head around the rules!