December 5, 2008 — Soccer Tactics World a World of Fun (The Soccer Paper)
— By Lucas Teodoro da Silva

Game Review of Soccer Tactics World
by: ST Games
Retail Price: $25-40
Languages: English, French,
Spanish and Italian included.
Available at: Soccer stores,
Wal-Mart Canada andonline at soccertacticsworld.com
Ages: 7 and up
Players: 2
3 1/2 stars of 4

WHAT IS IT?:
Soccer Tactics World is a two-player board game based on the most popular sport in the world – soccer. Aimed at kids seven and over, the Soccer Tactics World board game reminds me of the days when I used to play soccer with Legomen and marbles divided up onto separate teams; except the Soccer Tactics World board game is way more intense – it has yellow cards and red cards, scoring, a time clock, and a game board laid out like a soccer field. In essence – Soccer Tactics World is a strategy game played at high speed, which makes it fun for both adults and kids.

I tried the game out with a few (adult) friends to get their reactions. Here’s what we noticed.

PRODUCTION VALUE:
It may not have the name recognition of Monopoly, but Soccer Tactics World (STW) is certainly not a cheap-o board game. The game board itself is firmly constructed and it doesn’t feel like it will fall apart, even after prolonged usage. Unlike those inexpensive Snakes and Ladders board games you may have played with as a kid, the STW game board is solid and printed straight onto, so it shouldn’t have peeling and curling stickers that barely last.

The props (players and dice) are all made of wood and painted. In other words, they’re not plastic, so they’re not likely to crack, even after a few years.

The game-makers kindly took children to heart and included a second (back-up) spinner in the package; in case you break the only plastic accessory. And if you do, there’s also a back-up wooden die to use in place of the plastic spinner (although kids love spinners more than dice, I think).

The STW rulebook is glossy and full-colour and comes in four languages (French, Spanish, English and Italian), making STW a true World board game.

FIGURING IT OUT:
The board game was ripped open and set up in two minutes. The pieces sit logically on the game board; the two opposing teams are lined up in familiar 4-4-2 formations, with a keeper in each net.

The game itself took about 15 minutes to figure out how to play. As newcomers to the game, little squabbles broke out about how a ball is captured, what directions it travels in, etc., but these small frustrations were solved with a study of the well-laid-out rulebook.

It wasn’t long before the ball started rolling along the board at lightning pace and both players were dicing furiously to try to maintain possession and to put one in the net.

The rulebook doesn’t say it, but I’d suggest that beginning players avoid time limits and play first player to three goals wins. This will allow you to figure out the rules without stressing out about the clock. However, in the real game, a clock is set to ninety minutes and players have a minute each to move. It’s like speed chess, simplified for soccer players.

HOW DOES IT WORK?:
For board game lovers, this is how the Soccer Tactics World game is played: eleven soccer players line up for each team. There is a ball on the field, which is a disk that moves around the board to represent the action.

Players use dice to move either the ball or their soccer players and attempt to get closer to the opposition goal. As players get their soccer players closer to the goal, they can shoot the ball at the net, and hit the spinner to see where their shot landed. The ball can either go out for a goal kick or corner-kick, or, if the player has a little fortune, they’ll knock the kick into the net.

The STW game moves quickly. Players have only one minute to make each move, so the ball is knocked around and dice start to be thrown at a pretty lightning pace. As the two players battle it out for football supremacy, this game can get delightfully exciting, especially since onlookers can share in the fun and root on their favourite team.

WORTH THE MONEY?
Soccer Tactics World can be bought for fewer than thirty bucks, and if you enjoy a rainy-day board game, this one is highly recommended. Unlike a lot of board games which involve counting money (Life, Monopoly) or rolling the dice and doing a lot of strategic thinking (Risk), this game combines the best parts of dice games with the fun and quickness of soccer. There is some strategic thinking involved, no doubt, but because the game is based on the constantly changing game of soccer, thinking is done on the fly, not sitting around staring at the board like a chess master. Available at Wal-Mart and in soccer stores throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, PEI and Ontario, this game is sure to turn a few heads this winter season.