to be honest, the game can seem uninteresting to people who aren't familiar with the settlers of catan tabletop game.
to be honest, the ds version of the game can seem a little uninteresting to people who aren't familiar with the settlers of catan. germans have a knack for making really enjoyable tabletop games, but the playability and the popularity does not always translate to other mediums. for example, the pc version was a straight up conversion, and was very dry -- it was hard to sustain interest. however, the ds version ups the ante a bit. there is additional content; the game developers added a storyline to frame the tutorial and the subsequent game play. to familiar gamers this is a thoughtful addition, but to other people i suppose the story might seem flimsy and unnecessary. to be very objective, the cons are these: lackluster sound and visual design, and a very no-nonsense approach. it's like the game developers just focused on making a game for people who were already familiar with catan (i wouldn't be surprised it that were the case, actually).
the pros are few -- when playing against computer opponents (as compared to humans), negotiation is fast and aids in keeping game time to a minimum. the scenarios also help to change up the game, keeping it interesting and challenging. and finally, the best thing about catan: die erste insel is the nintendo wi fi online play option. nintendo ds owners can play catan anywhere without having to lug around boxes containing tabletop games and worrying about surface space or setting up / fixing / losing small game items.
the bottomline? i like this game very much, but i can't see a casual gamer picking this up and enjoying it off the bat. overall, i'm going to give this game a 6/10. -2 for the sound and visual design, -1 for the lack of anything substantially new and -1 for the lack of effort to get new players interested in catan.
(originally posted on my blog: http://miaowow.blogspot.com/2009/12/catan-die-erste-insel-ds.html)