Top 10 Best Board Games of 2002

1. Puerto Rico

It won the Advanced Strategy Game of the Year award from Games Magazine, the Deutscher SpielePries (the German "gamer's game" of the year award), and it was a finalist for the Spiel des Jahres (Germany's "family game" of the year award). Puerto Rico earned all of the accolades it received. Players compete to run successful plantations, growing corn, coffee, sugar, tobacco and indigo.

2. Pizarro & Co.

Francisco Pizarro was an explorer in the early 1500s. In this game, players bid for the services of Pizarro, Magellan, Columbus, Marco Polo and other famous explorers. Three rounds with lots of auctions make it an auction-lovers dream. The game also features double-sided game boards, enhancing its replay value.

3. Star Wars Epic Duels

This game, published in conjunction with Attack of the Clones, allows players to recreate famous battles from the Star Wars universe -- or to come up with their own. If you've ever wondered who would win a fight between Boba Fett and Han Solo, or between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Emperor Palpatine, this game is for you. Each character has his own card deck. Great fun for 2 to 6 players.

4. Pueblo

In Pueblo, everyone works together in a sense, building a "mighty home" for the chieftan. But when the chief comes around for inspection, you don't want him to see any of your colorful building blocks. (He prefers the neutral sand-colored blocks. Each one of yours that he sees is worth a point, but points are bad.) The three-dimensional nature of the game adds to its appeal.

5. Trivial Pursuit 20th Anniversary Edition

Questions are taken from the last 20 years (essentially covering the 1980s and 1990s), making this edition of Trivial Pursuit a good choice for players who grew up in those decades. There's not much new about the game -- you still roll a die and move around the board answering trivia questions to earn pie wedges. But if you're a trivia buff, TP20 should be in your collection.

6. Clash of the Gladiators

Almost purely a dicefest, Clash of the Gladiators offers players just enough choices to keep the game interesting. You begin by building a team of gladiators, then you fight the other gladiators and the wild animals. A nice twist is that when your gladiator team is eliminated, you get to control the animals -- so no one is out of the game until everyone's out.

7. Lord of the Rings Risk

This is Risk set in Middle-earth. The gameplay falls somewhere between classic Risk and the newer Risk 2210 AD. The board is divided into 6 regions of Middle-earth, taken from the first two books of the trilogy: Rhun, Mirkwood, Eriador, Rohan, Rhovanion, and Arnor. The armies represent Elven Archers, Orcs, the Riders of Rohan, the Dark Riders, the mighty Eagles, and Cave Trolls.

8. Lord of the Rings - The Confrontation

Elements of Stratego, but there's much more to it than that including a distinct Lord of the Rings feel. One player controls Frodo and the good side; the other controls Lord Sauron and the evil side. For two players. Designed by master game designer Reiner Knizia.

9. Roller Coaster Tycoon

The popular video game has become a board game. And it's a good one. Players compete to build the best theme park rides, attracting more customers than their opponents. To build a new ride, you have to win an auction; but, of course, you have limited resources. Roller Coaster Tycoon fits very well into the "family game" category as it can be enjoyed by both children and adults.

10. Nodwick Hench Games

Technically this isn't a board game, it's a card game. But the interesting and quick gameplay earns it a spot on my list of the best games of 2002. Nodwick is a henchman (you can read more about him in Nodwick comic books), and your job in this game is to put him (and/or his friends) back together after they've been dismantled. You need to find, through Pit-like trading, a head, arms, legs, etc.