Back in 1995, Klaus Teuber released his masterpiece, The Settlers of Catan. For many people, this route-building and trading classic was the ‘gateway game’ that introduced them into the hobby of modern board games. Fast-forward 25 years to 2020 and it’s sold more than 32 million copies worldwide! While these days it’s known as Catan, don’t worry – it’s still the superb game it always was.

You and your rival players land on the uninhabited island of Catan. It’s made up of a series of hexagonal tiles that represent various lush, fertile terrains, perfect for colonising. Number tiles – ranging from two to 12 – are placed on the terrain hexes. You all start the game by placing two humble settlements on corners of any two hexes, with a road leading out of it. Your aim is to acquire the right resources to construct more roads linking your settlements, building even more settlements, and also upgrading them into cities.