1. Thebes
Image courtesy of Rio Grande Games
Competitive archeology is the order of the day with Thebes. The track that handles the passage of time is among the several interesting mechanisms. Each player moves along the track at his own pace, but the player in last always goes next. So if Alex and Betty are tied when Alex goes on a nine-week expedition and Betty decides to spend two weeks studying, Betty is still seven weeks behind Alex and moves again. It's better to explore the five sites early while they remain full of undiscovered treasure, but going early will mean that you won't be able to dig as much as you might like. Thebes takes about 60 minutes per game.
2. Tikal
For 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up. Designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling, published by Rio Grande Games.Deep in the jungles of Central America, players compete to uncover treasure among archeological ruins. The gameboard and other components are wonderful to look at, the rules are straight-forward, and the theme will appeal to the Indiana Jones in you. Tikal is a great game, and it won several significant awards. Just don't play with opponents who over-analyze -- doing so can make the game drag a bit.
3. Lost Cities
For 2 players, ages 10 and up. Designed by Reiner Knizia, published by Rio Grande Games.Players send expeditions to five cities, each represented by a suit of cards. By playing cards in ascending order (you can skip steps, but you can never go back), players earn points -- if they create an expedition worth more than it cost to send out. Some expeditions will end up costing points. For two players, and Lost Cities is an absolutely great two-player game.
4. Expedition
For 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up. Designed by Wolfgang Kramer, published by Queen Games.Three archeological expeditions are controlled by all of the players, who try to direct them to the sites they need to visit in order to win. Players can also try to guess their opponents' goals and make it more difficult for them to finish. Expedition was based on an earlier game, Wildlife Adventure.
5. Fossil
For 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up. Designed by Klaus Palesch, published by Rio Grande Games.Players try to collect sets of related fossil fragments in this archeological game. Fossil was Games Magazine's Game of the Year in 1999.
