Bridgetothestars recently got their hands on a copy of the official The Golden Compass board game, made by Sophisticated Games, and Ian Giles and a couple of other willing volunteers offered to try it out. Find out what they thought in Ian’s review which you can read here.

We also have one copy of the game to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is find the name of one game, other than The Golden Compass, made by Sophisticated Games (Hint: You might like to read through the review for some help). Then email you entry to contest@bridgetothestars.net entitling the email ‘Board Game Contest’, and including your full name and postal details. Due to the size and weight of the game this contest is open only to those in Europe. The contest will close at 24.00 GMT on Monday December 10th.

The Golden Compass board game is something which many fans might see as an attempt to cash in on the success and brand of the film of the same name. I can say categorically, however, that it is nothing of the sort.

I had been doubtful about the concept of a board game based on the film, but after I had done some research into the manufacturers of the game, my concerns were put to rest. The manufacturers, Sophisticated Games, are the makers of a number themed board games, including games based on other movies and other wider concepts. I had previously played one of their games, The Bard Game, a William Shakespeare themed game, which despite its description is great fun to play. All this meant that when the postman delivered the game I had high hopes for the game.

The box was, it must be said, quite simply startling good-looking. Even those people disappointed by the film imagery cannot fail to be impressed by the photography on the box. In particular a stunning image of the northern lights stands out. Opening the box one is met by a fine-sized board, which is a rival for the box – there is imagery from throughout the film across board which has been put to excellent use.

Opening the instructions and examining the pieces on offer, it is easy to be at first confused – but as someone who had previously played a game by SG, I was not daunted. 15 minutes of careful reading through and popping out of pieces had myself and my two flatmates ready for play (the game is suitable for 2 – 4 players). The game is divided into three parts – very much like the novel Northern Lights – comprising of Oxford, Bolvangar and Svalbard. In each section you select at random a new player from the wide cast of characters to accompany you on your journey through each part. We selected at random our first players, for the first third of the game and it began.

It was a new concept to us all to find a board game where we moved around the board without using pieces. Instead there is one ‘Lyra piece’ which is moved by instruction of the central alethiometer on the board. After establishing who was to go first, we proceeded.

The game progresses by each player, on their go, spinning the alethiometer found in the middle of the board. This gives a choice two instructions: either pick up ‘Lyra cards’ and move the ‘Lyra piece’ along in her journey by a number spaces shown, or do one of four set actions (play ‘Lyra cards’, move Magesterium airship, use your character’s special ability or select a dust token). Initially picking up Lyra cards is advantageous, as it later allows the player to play them out which may well take them closer to a higher score.

Throughout each third of the journey one aims to place tokens on Lyra’s milestones, namely her transition from London to the North, her journey from Bolvanger to Svalbard, and finally as she walks into the sky. The player is also given the opportunity to buy ‘items’ which can later be redeemed in order to receive additional points on ones final score.

We moved through the first part of Lyra’s journey and were a little bit confused. So much so that at the end of the first third of the game I was in the lead!

As we moved into the second portion of the game players became more tactical and as we began to get a better grasp of the rules the game became more fun. Very much as in the book and the movie, the intrigue began to grow throughout the journey through Trollesund – who would win? The Magisterial Sky Ferry was banded around the board, the ‘old maid’ of the game which nobody wanted to be in possession of when the journey ended (it causes a potentially substantial points deduction) and items were bought up like hot cakes. One thing that all players did not understand was the relevance of the dust tokens, which remained untouched.

As we moved into the third leg of Lyra’s journey, it was neck and neck between all three of us. At this point we had the opportunity to begin redeeming our items by way of reversing the way in which we bought them. There was a hurry to this, as points could only be scored on items which have been redeemed before Lyra walks into the stars. It was at this point my Historian flatmate came into his element and successfully redeemed some four items in a very short amount of time. As my Archaeologist flatmate continued in pursuit of the Historian, I was left to pull out the stops on my last go in order to pull level second place with the Archaeologist.

Once Lyra reached her final destination, all play stopped, and we totted up our final scores – the Historian beat us all hands down. The general verdict around the table was that the game was ‘good fun’ and we all had the impression that once we fully understood the rules it would even more entertaining to play.

One of the appeals of the board game is that, unlike mammoth games like Monopoly, it only lasts around 40 or 50 minutes. We were able to play after a late dinner in the evening, and still have time to turn on the television to see our favourite show at midnight.

It is quite apparent that a significant amount of time has been spent on developing the board game and it has certainly benefitted from it – it is full of quality. Executives at New Line might, if they were ever to examine the merchandise they have licensed, question why so much of it is based on a plot where Lyra walks into the sky; but I believe that the late alterations to the film would not have transposed well into a board game.

By having Lyra’s full journey on the board game, it flows correctly, and it is pleasing to see that the plot of the book has been followed because Lyra visits Bolvanger before Svalbard. On the whole it feels much more as if the game has more or less been adapted from the novel, which many fans might feel is a good thing.

If you’re looking to play something fun and fresh over the holiday season with friends and family, then this is perhaps the solution. The game is good value and a worthwhile investment for fans of the book as much as those of the movie.

Reviewer: Ian Giles

The game is currently for sale in store at Waterstone’s and Borders, and online at Amazon and Play.com.