Imagine a landscape fresh for the taking and all it took to shape it was you. However, imagine if there were more people than just you vying for the same real estate. In Carcassonne, yet another board game made videogame for the Xbox Live Arcade, you'll find yourself in exactly that scenario. Perhaps more surprising than anything else is the fact that this board game is so much fun.

In Carcassonne you and the other players find yourself facing a blank canvas just right for taking, as random development cards are dealt to you. The cards you are dealt will feature different landmarks of varying sizes and shapes such as pieces of forts, roads, trees, and monasteries. You win by completing objects and having a follower attached to them; you only can have so many followers placed on the board at once, so you have to pick and choose your battles in a manner of speaking. There are rules in order to complete any object, such as a monastery having to be surrounded completely by eight pieces, roads only being completed once they have a beginning and end, and forts that are only completed once they are fully surrounded by their shapes. After the entire deck of 72 tiles has been completely used up, anything that wasn't completed will still be tallied up, though you just won't get as many points as you would've if they'd been completed.

The game is amazingly simple to figure out, as it's all about completing things, which the game tells you exactly where they can go, so there is no guess work; as long as you go in one of the designated squares, you'll be given all your options. However, once you play a few games, you'll start to see where defense plays just as much a role as does offense. If someone's trying to make a long road, stop them ahead of time and plant a tree. If they are working on building a fort, try to make it so a nearby one of yours will merge with them and you'll share the points, essentially nullifying each other. Another important, more advanced move is claiming land, which can net you some major points, as you'll get points for all the forts being connected by that stretch; this move, when done between two good players, can usually turn a game completely around.

Whether you're playing the game against the computer AI, playing with a friend in the same room, or playing online against players across Live, you're bound to have a great time. The game is especially fun when playing with a friend in the same room, as you can really talk trash and gloat when the tides turn your way and you win. Regardless of which mode you're playing, things are fast, solid, and smooth.

Though some board games can look rather plain and average at best when translated to Xbox Live Arcade (or even videogame form for that matter), Carcassonne has a simple but elegant style, thanks mainly to the 3D-esque graphics (though they are only ever so slightly 3D) that are punctuated by the stylish cel-shaded look that permeates through all the tile pieces, making completed forts, monasteries, roads, and trees pop ever so lightly off the screen. It was nice to see that though the game could've been brought to the system in a simpler fashion, it's good to see a developer put a little more love and care into the game so it wasn't just a standard board game port. In terms of audio, however, things aren't as grand, as you only have one medieval gothic background sounding song from beginning to end, and the sound of landmarks being completed isn't that thrilling either.

For a game that's so easy to understand, it can still be quite challenging and deep, taking a lot of strategy and planning in order for you to win. If you've never played the original board game before, give the game a shot and you'll find a wonderful little videogame at a relatively cheap price. Unless something like Monopoly heads to the system anytime soon, Carcassonne looks like the best board game you could possibly own from the Xbox Live Arcade.

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