CATAN Junior Board Game - Swashbuckling Adventure for Young Pirates! Strategy Game, Fun Family Game for Kids and Adults, Ages 6+, 2-4 Players, 30 Minute Playtime, Made by CATAN Studio

We absolutely love Catan: Junior in our household! I play it with my two sons, aged 9 and 6, and it consistently brings hours of engaging and competitive fun. The game is designed in a way that introduces strategy in an accessible manner, which keeps both kids and adults entertained.The gameplay is very visual, featuring colorful islands, ships, and resources that make it easy for kids to follow along. My sons especially enjoy collecting resources and building their pirate lairs, and they love the interaction that comes from trading. The pieces are sturdy, vibrant, and fun to handle, adding to the immersive experience.Although I haven’t played the adult version of Catan, I can see how this version simplifies things for younger players without losing the essence of strategy and planning. It’s a fantastic introduction to board games that require thinking ahead and negotiating with others. Highly recommend it for families looking for a game that’s engaging and helps teach problem-solving and planning skills!

We are not fans of Catan. Own it, don’t play it. With many, many games in our collection it just isn’t a hit and is hasn’t been played in years. This is an easy to learn version that is great for kids as young as 5. This one is similar, but also improves it with having a market to trade at and parrot tiles to take a chance on. I do feel like the parrot tiles are perhaps OP (overpowering), but that seems ok for a kids game and makes it a viable strategy for young ones to use and perhaps win.The tiles are thick (were kind of hard to punch out and left weird marks on the edges where they were still connected for shipping) and nice looking - vibrant. The miniatures seem a little flimsy but as long as you treat them well should last - they look fine, especially for the 20 dollar price point. The board is thin but seems okay at the cheap price point as well but I do wish it was thicker. As a whole, it has a solid table presence which is really important to get kids to want to play. The more table presence and visual appeal it has, the greater desire a child will want to play the game again, and this succeeds there.What I really don’t like is the insert. The layout seems like it might have been for a different game and just repurposed. It is really unfortunate but maybe it was to keep the price down? What I really wish was they had included baggies or something for the resources and player pieces which would have cost next to nothing to add if they were going to use this insert.The game is solid, and fun to play with kids. It I s also quick unlike the full version. You can play in 20 to 30 minutes very easily. For a kids game, we like it a lot and I don’t hesitate to play (which is surprising because I’m not a fan of Catan, and I was hesitant to buy this originally) but it’s quick nature and nice table presence just makes it enjoyable. If my children like it then I like it. I can overlook the clunky insert, and strongly recommend buying this, even if you don’t like Catan.

My daughters age 4 and 5 love the theme and after playing a few times with us parents on their team they’re now able to play on their own with us. My 5yo beat me by a lot and I’m ashamed and proud to say that! Its great for younger kids and a quality set!

I bought this game to introduce my parents and younger nephews to Board games and to summarize the experience, it was a huge success!Catan Junior is a light strategy game where you are a pirate and the aim is to be the first person to build all of your castles. It is a nice game for kids and elders alike. As this is a beginner strategy game, I would not recommend this game for seasoned strategists, but rather for folks who are just getting into strategy games. Compared to the regular Catan game, this is much more simpler, which less variables to strategize. It does not have ‘cards’ like the regular Catan, rather it has resources on hard cardboard, which I am a big fan of.Build: 7 on 10The build of the game was really good. The quality of castles and boats were ok. The board itself was sturdy and the look and feel – very professional. The parrot cards in the game are made of hard cardboard, which provide a really good feel while playing the game.Packaging: 8 on10The package was received on time. The product itself comes in nice professional box and has dedicated locations to store each item from the game. It was quite easy to unwrap the product and start using it.Overall: 8 on 10Overall, having played many many strategy games, this still ends up as one of my favorite ‘light’ strategy games.I often depend on others leaving honest reviews when I need to order a new item. I find that one of the most difficult things about ordering online is that I can’t hold or touch the products before buying them. So, I love reviews from others who have touched, inspected, and used the item I’m thinking about purchasing. I strive for the same in leaving reviews for others – to leave a review that will help others make an informed decision (never to inflate the product's quality). If you have found this review helpful, I’d love if you’d indicate that below.