The latest expansion to the original game features 24 new tiles, including Bridges and more unusual shaped City tiles. The rule additions allow for two new types of character in the game besides the basic pawn. The builder can be placed after a road or city has been started and populated by a control marker. Subsequent extensions of this city or road will allow an additional tile placement anywhere on the board that fits. This can be very powerful, as it allows a double move to improve or close off a position.

The second "character" is the pig, which works in conjunction with the farmer, increasing the value of the farms associated with that field if the pig's owner controls the field at the end of the game. I haven't found this as valuable yet, but obviously a large field with multiple completed cities would make the pig a useful point scorer.

The builder is probably the more valuable, as when the road or city is closed off, he is made available for play again. This makes the other players think before closing off a road, because of the need to limit the potential damage that a second tile could do if the player is able to play their first tile to extend the area where the builder is placed.

Other new features in this expansion are goods symbols that appear only on the some of the new city tiles. When placed they have no particular significance, but when a city is completed, the person doing so picks up all the goods tokens shown in the city. The player with the most of each type of goods scores a bonus at the end of the game. The bonus points seemed quite large when reading the rules, but in play they did not overbalance the scoring.

The final addition is useful - a cloth bag from which to draw the growing volume of tiles.

So how does it compare to previous editions and the original? Well, the best ideas and greatest innovation with games of this sort are usually found in the original, but there are always new ideas that can be added. This time we are given greater variety (which I like), but the scoring could get more unbalanced (which I don't like). In an extreme case, which I have yet to encounter, one person could play their builder at an early stage; continually increase their road or city, while the other players cannot draw the right tiles to prevent this. The building player would then be placing more tiles than anyone else and presumably be scoring more points. As I said, this is a possibility that is not present in the earlier versions.

The interesting aspect to the goods is that the closer of the city gets the bonus. This is an improvement as it encourages more cities to be closed, but it needs to be balanced against the farmers rubbing their hands with more points arriving (and the added value of the pig), as well as the points scored and the markers released for the players in the city. So, some interesting issues to consider from this rule addition.

Having expressed some mild concerns about the builder, I must say that I like this rule. Yes, there is a chance of more wonderful scoring, but it works both ways. Other players can be just as wary of your builder as you are of theirs. Maybe the issue of the luck of the draw is now more exaggerated as the tiles that extend where your builder is placed either prevent or allow you to have a great turn. The same argument holds for everyone though and drawing the right tiles at the right time was always important in the original and subsequent versions.

Finally, the bridges allow roads to cross without ending either road, which is OK, but not that exciting, and the more esoteric city shapes can cause you alarm or hilarity depending when they arrive.

The growing number of tiles now available increases the game length, and this is not necessarily a good thing in my opinion. I think the first game did it all, and subsequent expansions have added options without making the game better. So you take your choice: if you like Carcassonne, you'll probably buy the extra expansions for the variety, and this one certainly adds more interesting options. I wonder what will happen next.

Finally, if you like the original Carcassonne, I can highly recommend the computer version. Yes, it's heresy to mention the "c" word, but the production is very good (in German), but anyone knowing the board game will enjoy the computer version, with a 4 player game playable in 15 minutes.