I'm always searching for games that are fun for a group but can also work well as a 2-player game. This is one such game - thanks to the 2- player rule variation.

The premise: You are one of six pirates on a race around Jamaica, your goal is to collect the most gold and win the race.

The fun: At each turn you will have to decide what your "morning activity" and what your "evening activity" will be. You could collect more food, collect gunpowder, collect gold coins or move forward/backward -- you could even attack another ship!

Each player gets to hold the golden compass and play captain for a turn. As Captain you'll roll the dice and choose which die will represent the "morning activity" number and the "evening activity" number... if you're playing with 2 players... you'll also get to determine the course of the Ghost Ship!

The surprisingly fun part of this game is that at any point the game can seem to turn upside down and the leader finding themselves trying to stay afloat while the calm and steady ship sails on. Each time you play you only use 9 of the 12 treasure cards which adds a touch of mystery to the game. After all... some of the treasure is cursed!

This game is great for all ages and is relatively quick to play. The rules (while looking extensive and hard to understand) are quite simple and are fun to read through.

Other favorite two player games:
Lost Cities
Jambo!
Ticket to Ride