Far more fun with this connection game than most

In general connection games – those where you are trying to string a line of something from one side of the board to the other – bore this reviewer.

While many rave for example about Hex – likely the granddaddy of the game mechanic – I have never found the game of any great interest.

That said, an odd connection game climbs about the norm – Tak for example is a top shelf game being among the best abstract strategy games of this millennium, and PUNCT rises about the norm too.

So when Meteor Shower from Queensell ( queensell.com) arrived I was not exactly sure what to expect.

At its core Meteor Shower is a connection game, one that has a ‘mining mars’ theme over laid upon it which at least ticked up interest out of the box.

Inside the box this one is quite nice.

The game board is boldly coloured, and reversible with a smaller grid for quicker games as you try Meteor Showers out and a bigger offering on the other side for longer game play.

In this one players can roll dice to have a meteor fall on the hex matching the roll, or they can roll out neat little toy buggies to gather meteors then transport them back to be dumped as part of their line across the board.

On the small board a few bad die rolls dropping meteors easily within reach of the opponent – this one is a two player offering – is bad news. It happened to me and Trevor stomped me in the game.

The larger board mitigates that a bit by simply needing more pieces collected, but dice rolls do influence Meteor Showers.

The meteors once collected change to your colour – all the pieces being plastic ‘gems’ – functional and bright to match the ‘feel’ of the board.

Now the buggies move according to one of four – three hex – patterns. The patterns are right on the board so that is handy.

However, we still spent more time than was fun trying to determine if we moving correctly.

And, again on the smaller board you can get boxed in and not have a move that is frustrating way to end a game.

In the end Trevor and I have decided to ignore the pattern, allowing you must move three hexes and you cannot cross the same hex twice. It makes movement more naturally free flowing in our minds.

So first thing, ignore the small board for all but a test drive. The more expansive board simply offers more opportunity for an engaging game.

Try the given movement patterns, but if you get frustrated as we did, try our house rule.

In the end this is better than Hex – although most games are for me – but no way is Meteor Shower on the same planet of Tak either. It falls somewhere in between – inching above halfway to the point of being worth a cautious recommendation – or if connection is a mechanic of choice for you.