Avalon Hill Risk 2210 AD

Played twice over Xmas, although it took over an hour to work out how to set it up and more than that to read and try and decipher the rules of the game.Could do with MUCH briefer rules (quick start rules?). 14yr old started to get bored as took so long to get game started, and it took some effort to keep him involved enough to play the game. Once got going, it was OK, but not sure it's going to be as popular as other board games we have, such as 5 Second Rule and Ticket to Ride.Plus, all the play pieces are tiny, similar looking and should have been provided with re-sealable bags!! When there are about 60+ for each player (x5), it is a real pain not being able to put them in sealable bags. Which means I'm off to the shops to try and find very small re-sealable bags. Plus the box doesn't have a divided up section for the 8 different sets of cards for the game, so these are also going to end up loose in the box!! WHY???? Quality made product, but very poor package design. Please pass on to Hasbro etc.

I always found the original version of Risk a 'meh' game. It was good the first few times round, but essentially it was always the same game.Then I bought Risk 2210. This version is essentially Risk in the future, with the addition of ocean territories and the Moon (and even Mars if you download it!). Battles are essentially the same, except the old reinforcement card system - I never thought it was balanced to allow someone to gain up to 10 additional reinforcements instantaneously - has been replaced by reinforcements based purely on the number of territories you control. However, with the addition of energy markers, players now must bid on turn sequence and purchase various commanders and 'command cards', which are basically special powers. This all provides Risk 2210 with a wider range of possible strategies than vanilla Risk.In summary, if you enjoyed Risk at all then you'll *really* enjoy Risk 2210!One slight 'hiccup' though was the game box. You open it up to find 450-odd miniatures packaged in their non-resealable packaging, and are not supplied with ANY storage means. If you don't fish out freezer bags or small boxes, you'll be forced to pour 450-odd different coloured miniatures into the game box, along with several decks of cards. This would naturally be pure distilled chaos.

This review is purely relating to the product quality. For the updated game-play itself the other 4 and 5 star reviews give an accurate description.This said please note that while the game set-up/rule booklet includes the set up for the standard risk game (not using the commanders, moon colony and score sheet) it only allows for world domination as there are no mission cards included.Summary -Pros - If you don't mind a lower part/build quality and just want an updated risk game with new content and game-play then this product is a good buy.Cons - Compared to previous renditions of the game the quality of the individual parts and packaging is low.Details -My impression when opening the box was first good, with a very sturdy and vibrant board for the Earth map on top. Unfortunately after removing the main board my impression dropped quite substantially.There is no (generally expected) plastic inset for holding the cards, pieces and dice like the earlier renditions of the game had. Nor are there any baggies. To avoid having all the many pieces and cards mix up loose in the box you therefore need to add your own re-seal baggies.All the pieces are in non-reusable plastic bags (the sealed type that you cannot reseal, so tear open and then have to throw away).For the few pence cost of plastic mold and re-seal baggies per box this really is a cheap and thoughtless omission.The pieces themselves are very basic moldings with very little detail on them, apart from the commander pieces which while having more character detail are stained with an uneven and unattractive silver highlight (I assume to make them stand out from the other troops?).The side boards (Moon colony and score sheet) are both made from poor quality flimsy cardboard and the various tokens are of the same. All these card pieces are all single-sided, so are blank grey card on the reverse.Overall the contents give the impression that costs were cut at any opportunity to the detriment of the quality of the product, despite the earlier renditions having a much higher quality feel, appearance and package. This was all the more apparent as several other board games were purchased in the same order, all within a few £ more or less than this product, and the others were of significantly higher build quality.

This was our first Risk game, I bought it for our 13 year old son for christmas and we opened it for our family of four to play on Boxing Day (our other son is 9). We opened the box at 11:30am and finally finished the game at 6pm, having played it solidly all day and totally lost track of time.Each player only gets 5 turns, so you would think it would be quite short, right? Wrong - it is a strategy game and each move requires planning, cunning and lots of thought. We had to help our 9 year old with his turns, but even he really enjoyed playing it.We have played it again since, and that game took 4 hours, although we did only play to the end of Year 4 as it was getting past the kids' bedtime!A great family game, and one of the very few things I have found that keeps the kids off the Playstation! I will certainly try other variants of Risk in the future.

Risk is one of my all time favourite games, I have spent nights trying to take over the world and being stuck in a stalemate with my friends.This 2210AD edition gives you 2 ways to play. Classic risk or the modern warfare version. Classic risk is the same but the modern version completely changes the rule. You only get 5 turns but that is all you need with the addition of commanders, energy, the moon, water territories, command cards and space stations you will be loving it and it feels like it lasts just long enough. However you will feel a little like a nerd when you are managing you energy in order to build a space station on the moon:-)All the pieces where there and nothing was brokenTotally recommend it