Get on Board: Ticket
to Ride, London

When it comes to new editions of an established game, designers tend to change nothing other than the theme. There’s a whole library of Monopoly themes – from Game of Thrones to Pokémon – but it’s still the same old patience-testing game of greed. Ticket to Ride: London is different. Not only does it relocate the action from America, it’s completely scaled down from the original, and games last around just 15 minutes.

In the original the objective of Ticket to Ride is to link up one city to another as indicated on destinations cards. To do so, players must collect multiples of a singular coloured card to allow them to place a route down on the board with their little train carriage pieces. The game is highly strategic and cut-throat, sometimes taking up to two hours for a four-player game. Not exactly a laid-back party game.

The London edition is far easier to grasp. The board is colourful and bright, and the pieces are cute miniature double-decker buses. The cards are smaller too, but still retain a high quality. The action is fast-paced as you have fewer options to think about, resulting in quicker decision making.

The game’s compact size means it travels well and it can be easily taught to kids who aren’t quite ready to handle its bigger brother. Serious gamers may scoff at the thought of a condensed game. Granted, strategy is nowhere near as important – but Days of Wonder deserves credit for a truly creative spin-off of an emerging classic that retains the original’s integrity and playability. Ticket to Ride: London is perfect for newbies, kids, parties and a quick game. Sometimes its nice to dip your toes in, rather than diving in head first.