A towering achievement? Actually no, but who but me could resist such an opening. But desperate to revive my diminishing reputation, I'll avoid "raising gaming enjoyment to a new level'' to conclude.

Babel does add further to the reputation of [page scan/se=0546/sf=category/fi=stockall.asc/ml=20]Kosmos' 2-player series. I would place it behind Lost Cities, Caesar & Cleopatra and Siedler Kartenspiel (a confirmation of quality, rather than a reflection of the Rosenberg design) but ahead of the rest.

The first thing non-German speakers will need to do is draw up a couple of crib sheets to highlight the specific abilities of the five races involved. For Babel is about monument building in old Mesopotamia, and where would we be without the old Meders and their "mates''.

The physical elements included in the slim line box are a pack of People cards, a Temple deck (with building levels ranging from 1-6), a narrow board and a couple of stone towers to mark a player's position at one of the five foundation sites.

In turn, players may play any number of People or Temple cards from their hand (from an initial deal of five and one respectively). Let me expand on their use, as their distribution is paramount.

Having drawn three additional People cards, a player may Travel, Settle, Build Temples, Migrate and use Peoples' Special Abilities.

Each People is represented both on the board and within the card deck (12 each of five races). Using Rosenberg's meld device from the [page scan/se=0027/sf=category/fi=stockall.asc/ml=20]Bean series of games, players may influence an area by virtue of a nation's supremacy. This is achieved by placing cards under the relevant section of the board in sequence (although not necessarily on the same turn).

Babel's fundamentals--Travel, Settle--are achieved by simply playing a card to move to the corresponding site (eg, A Hethiter to the Yellow section--all are colour-coded), and then expanding your personal holding (your side of the board) by laying cards (any number), remembering to integrate them sequentially.

Once in situ, a player can build Temples (starting with the '1' card (as dealt), and following the numerical pattern to '6'. A Temple's height cannot exceed the number of People cards in place, but the only other restriction is that cards must be taken in order from either of the player stockpiles (which accumulate two additional cards at the end of a player's turn).

Let's assume that The Rock has beetled off to the blue Assyrian site. Now in place, he "Settles'' three Hethiter cards and could build to level three. As established, the Hethiters can influence the opposite site. Their particular ability is to remove the top Temple card from your adversary for your own use. If, in a previous turn, Big Show had built a '2' level Temple, you could now 'knick' that uppermost card. The cost of utilising a People is one card from those in service, so four are better than three, etc.

The aforementioned crib sheet (use colour pens for the People names) should illustrate each factions capabilities. They are:

• Assyrians -- Can tear down a temple;
• Persians -- May skip a Temple level;
• Meders (Medes) -- One People migrate (to discard pile);
• Sumerians -- Uppermost People change sides;
• Hethiters (Hittites) -- as described above.

Patient placement of cards (the key), will allow a player the chance to augment his Sites sensibly. Rash distribution (in order to upgrade Temples) is usually fatal. However, you do need to build fairly quickly, because the winning condition is Temples with a combined value of at least 15 points (the opposition must have less than 10). If your rival is battling hard, and has more than 10 points, then 20 must be attained. Alternatively, "sacking'' temples could bring the number back under 10.

Babel's playing time is a suggested "45-60 minutes''. I have been stuffed a lot quicker, but the end game can dawdle a bit as players wait for the right Temple card to appear. This is a little irritating, but not a significant flaw.

Last year's Best Family Card game is still being praised to the skies. Cards represent five spirited tribes. Bring the building foreman to a tribal space by discarding a card in the tribe's color, place faceup cards there, and lay temple levels no higher than the cards allocated to the space. With sufficient cards of the same tribe at the active space, you can unleash the tribe's power. Powers are awesome, and varied enough to start your mind babbling with indecision: Should you build higher, steal the opponent's cards or temples, or destroy a temple? Win by building temples with a combined height of 15 levels. An extraordinarily high level of entertainment!

Five feisty tribes are represented by People cards in their color and a colored space on the construction site. Move your foreman to a tribal space by discarding a corresponding card. Then place any People cards there, and construct consecutive levels no higher than the number of People at that site. With three People of the same tribe placed, you can activate the tribe's Power. Powers allow you to skip building levels, steal the opponent's levels or People, or destroy a Temple. Draw three People each turn and hold however many you wish, but beware: The opponent can activate any tribe to force you to discard half your holdings! The first player to build Temples with a combined height of 15 levels wins. With its fast-paced interactions, wildly fluctuating fortunes, and ultimate balance, you'll be in heaven playing this splendid game.

The mix of Uwe Rosenberg innovation and the excellent production values of Kosmos yield a a winner! Uwe has knack for applying the slightest tweaks to standard card play which take his games to the next level. Here was a game where upon first play, I was just waiting for the game to break. But it is along these lines that the tension grows. After a few plays, this game now always comes to a heated conclusion. Very much possessing an in your face and take that style of play. If you don't like that sort of thing, this probably won't change your mind. But me and my friends love it!

In my top three Kosmos 2 player games, Babel rates below Hera and Zeus and above Hellas. This is a game which seems like it will never bet old for me!

I am suprised to not see more stars in the reviews of this game. The strategy is deep and facinating, without being brain-bustingly painful to plan a good move. It has great components of managing resources, managing risk, balancing offense and defense, and punishment for overextension. Best of all, it isn't excessively complicated. It has enough luck to keep things interesting, but strong play will win. Games seem to last the perfect amount of time, and it is usually a close, hard-fought match up to the end. The end usually comes pretty suddenly, so you don't have a painful slow finish. While the game is on however, your game position usually isn't hopeless, so it is still fun to play when you are not winning. This is my favorite 2 player game!

When I first saw Babel in a booklet I was interested. Now I have It I love it! You can't really plan ahead a lot because the situation changes every turn but that's okay for me. You have like endless things to do but... so does your 'enemy'. Because that's how you will feel about the other if he is tearing down your 6 layer temple you worked so hard for. But it's a great feeling to steal your oponent's cards and then use them agains him. Prepare for a heated game!