Doom: The Boardgame

Initially, when opening this game I was baffled by the sheer size of it, dozens of playing pieces, combined with what feels like hundreds of ammo, armour, weapon and upgrade tiles. Reading the manual (rather than booklet) took the best part of an hour and longer to fully understand the more complex parts. Once you understand the basics however and get into the game, everything else falls into place and my 11 year old brother grasped not only the basics, but the finer points of play within 2 hours. Limitless possibilities for level design and a hugely challenging campaign mode included within the manual mean this game will last and last. Beware though, games sould last the best part of 4 hours and that's just for one level! All we need now are some budding level designers to post them on the fantasy flight games web site...

In summary: Doom is sheer brilliance. When you open the box, the first thing you will notice is how much you get for your money. The board pieces are of very high quality and the miniatures (of which there are dozens and dozens) are pretty cool.

If you're not a fan of the video game or never played, then I think you'll still love it. If you are a fan, then chainsawing a zombie down or using a cyberdemon to blast your best mate into the afterlife will be that little bit more satisfying.

There are some important points which I didn't know when I purchased the game, which do impact on when and how you play. Firstly, it is a long game. Depending on what scenario you decide upon, I wouldn't bet on finishing within 3 hours. Some of the games I've played have lasted for 6+ hours. Some have been spanned over multiple evenings. Secondly, the space required to play can be pretty huge too. If you have a big dining table (8+ persons) then you're okay. Otherwise it's probably a floor job.

The gameplay is such that one person plays the invaders (the bad guys) and the rest of the players play marines which have to accomplish a set of goals. The gameplay, I felt is generally tilted toward the invader, but certain rules are in place that allow you to adjust the difficulty level.

There are a number of set scenarios, but once you've finished them, you can find a fantastic scenario editor online to download. This smart bit of software allows you to print your own custom maps, so the play can be endless. Also, if you find games too long, smaller custom-built maps can overcome this.

The rules are quite complex and the first game will be an avalanche of learning, but after you've played it through, I'm sure you will agree that it was worth it.

Great game all round and typical of Fantasy Flight Games' unequalled attention to detail and quality.