'Saint Petersburg' allows each player to walk in the footsteps of Czar Peter. Your aim is to develop the famous city and do it better than anyone else to earn the most victory points.

The game revolves around 4 decks of cards. Each deck represents a different aspect of the city and they include the Workers, Buildings and Aristocrats. The final deck offers a mixture of cards from the other 3 decks but they are all unique.

Each deck offers something a little different but they are all critical. Workers are the primary way of earning income which is needed to buy cards during the game. Buildings offer points (needed for victory) but they can be expensive. Aristocrats offer money and the more expensive ones can also offer points. The final deck offers a range of options that can interact with other cards a player may have acquired. This allows for players to pursue certain combinations and this makes the game intriguing.

On a given turn, a number of cards is turned face up. On a player's turn they can purchase any one card, draw a card to their hand, buy a card from their hand or pass. When all 4 players have passed consecutively the round is over. The players then receive any money or points on the cards of that round (Workers only earn money at the end of the worker deck phase for example) and play moves to the next deck. The game continues in this fashion until one deck is exhausted. This will result in the game ending at the end of the round.
Sound interesting? Well it gets better. Players have the chance to gain economical advantages if they can acquire multiples of the same card. For example if a player owns 3 markets and they buy a 4th, they can deduct 3 rubles off the cost of that market. This economic benefit applies to all cards in the game.

Then there are the Aristocrats! They are crucial as they offer bonus points at the end of the game. Bonus points are awarded to each player for the number of unique Aristocrats they control. A small chart on the board outlines how many points a player can earn. These points are often the game breaker but not always.
Finally the cards available in the last deck require that a card of the same colour be sacrificed. The cost of this card is then deducted from the cost of the new card, making it more financially viable.
'Saint Petersburg' may sound complicated but after 2-3 plays it all makes perfect sense. What you are then left with is an intriguing game that allows any number of different paths to victory. Most finishes are very close and the action in the final rounds is always nail biting. The only area I can mark down is the game's visual appeal. But when a game plays this good I can overlook this detail. This game is for the thinkers among you.