In Lost Cities each player is in charge of an exploration team that must embark on multiple expeditions to the far flung regions of the world. The game consists of cards and a board which displays the 5 regions and this separates both players. These regions are the Himalayas, the Brazilian Rainforests, Shifting Deserts, Ancient Volcanoes and Neptune's Realm. Despite their names, the regions are otherwise generic but each region has a set of corresponding cards ranging from 2-10 in value and these represent the value of the treasures found when played to the table. Each region also has 3 Investment cards that effect scoring but they must be played in a region before any value cards to represent the preparation that has gone into the journey. The play is very simple but allows for multiple options and strategic advancement. The players start with 8 cards and on each turn they must play a card from their hand to their side of the region board. This ensures that both players' expeditions remain separate. Cards can only be played to the matching region and only if the value of the card is higher than the last card played to that region by that player. Therefore once the 10 value card is placed for a region no further cards can be played there. After a card is played a new one is drawn to replace it and maintain an 8 card hand. The round ends when the last card is drawn from the draw pile and then scoring occurs. Each region is scored individually by adding all of the value cards played in that region (per player - ie. Scoring is done separately) and 20 is deducted to represent the cost of the expedition. This total is then multiplied by 1 and a further +1 is added to the multiplier for every Investment Card played by a player in that region (up to a max of x3 if you are lucky enough to draw all 3 Investment cards for a region). An example then - A region has the cards 4, 6, 8, 9 for a total of 27. After taking away 20 for the cost of the expedition the score is reduced to 7. No Investment cards were played so the score remains the same. Had 1 Investment card been played, the score would have been 7 x 2 = 14. A final scoring bonus of 20 points is also earned if a single expedition has 8 cards or more. The scoring for all 5 regions is calculated and a total score is determined. The game ends when the final round is played and this is decided by the players before the game begins but 3 rounds is a common choice and takes between 15-40 minutes.

Lost Cities is a fast paced game that fills a niche in the gaming industry - two player action. So many great games out there are rarely played because of the need for a small troop of players. Thankfully Lost Cities answers the call and a good friend is all you need! The game rewards shrewd card management, a keen sense of timing and a little luck. The game constantly challenges players to wait 1 more turn to try and pull another Investment card before beginning an expedition. But wait too long and you'll be out of time to pull off that high scoring journey. The artwork is great too. Grab your best replica Indiana Jones hat and make the journey!