I am the harshest critic of board games. I love board games, in general, but most of them tend to be only so-so. I find that even the games on this site which are highly rated by players are all-too-often not nearly as good as their ratings would suggest.

So, its quite a surprise when I do find a game that lives up to its ratings. Medici and Pizzaro are such games. Add High Society to the list. I generally enjoy more complicated games, this one is quite simple and despite the fact that it looks a bit silly, its great fun.

I can only recommend very few games, and this is definitely one of them.

High Society entertains, torments and finishes in under 20 minutes. An upper crust fun/time ratio.

The game is easy to learn and non-gamers can be competitive right away. The auction portion inspires much humorous taunting, while torturing both sides of a player's brain. How much is the item worth obtaining (or worth avoiding) in context with your financial situation, the other players' holdings and tendencies, and the items remaining? You may never know, but it's sure fun justifying (and then lamenting) your decisions along the way.

Save your money? The game might end quickly. Spend your money? You may watch 8 more items go into undeserving hands for bourgeois prices.

If bidding escalates every time, you can't just sit back and sneer at oy, such ridiculous prices, because only one of those free-spenders will lose at the end of the game. And second-to-last just doesn't cut it. Therein, the game's elegance and charm. You want bargains, but you can't be miserly. You can't not HAVE stuff. High society forbids.

And how do you handle the negative cards? You've blown half your wad on the 10, and now the thief arrives. Keep him at bay, and you'll sit on your hands for the next 10 cards and still have the lowest cash.

Three to five players can play. I think it's enjoyable with 3, but I like how the intensity increases with more people. More competitors competing for limited resources.

I love the art work on the cards; they evoke the simultaneous lightheartedness and covetous competition of the game itself.

Great game for the price.

I just recieved my copy of High Society from the new game company Uberplay and I am very impressed with their quality and design. Keep it up!

The game has 16 thick tile 'cards' that form possession cards and can either effect your score positively or negatively. All players are given a set of money cards that are all equal in value. You then start bidding on the shuffled possession cards.

Now, there are a couple of Knizia-esque game mechanics. First, there are 4 cards that have red borders. Once the last red card is turned over, the game is over - you never know exactly when the game will end! Also, at the end of the game, the person with the LEAST amount of money automatically loses so you can't spend all of your money to get the most valuable possessions.

Very fast moving play, lots of agonizing decisions and great strategy makes this game a must buy for anyone who loves nice Knizia card games!