Come Back To Arrakis

The long-awaited reprint of the Avalon Hill Dune board game finally hit store shelves back in November, and honestly it's everything I had hoped it would be: the same game, but with updated graphic design and streamlined, easier-to-understand rules that don't read like a calculus textbook. It's a huge improvement on what was already a great game.

The changes to the actual game play are minimal enough that my review of the original game should still serve as a good description. What remains to be seen is whether or not a 40 year old game design can hold its own in the current (and much more mainstream) board game market. To be fair, new publisher Gale Force 9 have given it every chance, with nice, crisp graphics, a plethora of "how to play" videos on YouTube, a relatively low price point, and wide availability at mainstream retailers such as Barnes & Noble.

The improved production value and availability should help, but the game's biggest problem remains: it was designed for six players, and while it can play with fewer, the shifting alliances are what makes it interesting, and this aspect doesn't come off nearly as well with fewer players. And even with board gaming's popularity at an all time high, it can still be challenging to get six players together who want to spend 3-4 hours playing a game based on a 50 year old book, even if it was a science fiction masterpiece.

Rating: 4 (out of 5) A great game made even better, but the main barrier to playing it regularly remains.

• Dune official website
• Dune on BoardGameGeek