First of all, let's be honest. This game isn't any more fun than the original (that costs much less) since it's the idea of the game itself that makes it fun-- just like you can have the same amount of fun kicking around an old can as you can a really nice soccer ball.

BUT...

If you're like me and enjoy playing Catan with friends and family and suspect you will for years to come then this is the version to have! The workmanship is fantastic and the attention to detail makes this a game that you can play for years to come and hand down to your grand kids.

I can imagine a scene something like "Jumanji", where someday kids are rooting around in an attic and find what appears to be a wooden treasure chest. They open it up to find beautifully sculpted landscapes, knights, cities and a pirate ship and say, "I've never seen anything like this! Let's play!".

So maybe I'm a bit of a dreamer, but let's face it-- it's a lot harder to get excited about paper boards and counters than it is to get excited about something that looks like it was specifically designed for fun and make-believe.

The 3-D edition of Catan is one of those rare games that is not only fun to play but LOOKS like fun from the first minute you open the box.

Bottom line? If you enjoy Catan you can still have a great time with the basic edition. But if you're looking for something that would be a special gift for your family that will last well into the future (provided you're not too careless with the pieces) then the 3D edition is well worth the price!

First of all, this contains Settlers and Cities and Knights. Cities and Knights actually solves some of the problems with the original settlers (which rewarded the right setup at the beginning of the game with a high probability of winning). Combining the two into one seamless whole really makes sense, and this big Game is really a great one.

As for components there some things that should be pointed out that show how much effort was placed into this. The rule manual is completely rewritten, and incorporates both Settlers as well as Cities. The card art was also redone, and the commodity cards are smaller.

The 3-D pieces are also beautiful, not merely "novel". Looks like they tried hard to make something great.

Finally, everything has a well-designed slot or space inside the box. Nothing (as I remember) rattles around inside, unlike the original settlers.

If you want to argue that the price is too high for all of this, well I'm not so sure: Everything seems to be well-made with a lot of attention.

I can therefore give this Super-Settlers an unqualified 5 stars.