Rating: - a must have for board gamers
The Settlers of Catan is a must have for anyone who enjoys playing board games. Winning the game requires negotiating with other players, assessing resource supply and demand, and mapping out a plan to get those last few victory points. Yet, players are still subject to the luck of the dice and rules that usually keep the game close until the very end.

Settlers has huge replay value. The game board is actually a collection of tiles that change position every time you play, and there are several different strategies to winning. Additionally, the game has many expansions, scenarios, and variants to keep things interesting.

A few things to consider before purchasing: The base game requires 3 or 4 players - no more, no less. However, an expansion is available that allows a 5th and 6th player to join in, and a 2-player variant is available in the Traders and Barbarians expansion. Also, the game time varies depending on the experience and "efficiency" of the players. I've played in games that take as little as 30 minutes and as long as 2 hours. Lastly, the rules are very detailed, yet easy to understand. You'll need to refer to the rule book the first few times you play for those "unusual" situations.

Overall, this is truly a great game. Since it is not owned by Mattel or Hasbro, it suffers from underexposure in the U.S. Otherwise, you would find it on the shelves of every store that sells board games.