Review: Acquire

Another game that we really like to play, and is one of my particular favorites is Acquire. I won this game the very first time I played, which is why, I think, it holds a special place in my heart.

The object of the game is to acquire the majority and/or minority holdings in various companies that are built up with the tiles that are placed on the board. The board consists of tiles that each go in a specific place (1A-12I). When two tiles are placed next to each other, a company is formed. Each person holds six tiles, so you can decide which tiles to lay, and which to hold back (in order to prevent companies from merging if you won't benefit from such a merge, etc). When two companies are joined together, the smaller one is merged into the larger. When a company has at least 11 tiles, it can no longer be merged (but it can still have companies merged into it). Companies are constantly getting merged into others, and when that happens, the people with the most and second most shares of stock in that company gets paid. You have to continually have companies that sell out so you can keep buying more stocks in other companies. In the end, the companies that are left get sold. The larger the company, the more your stock is worth.

It's really a very simple game. You have to keep track of who else is invested in the companies you are invested in so that you can maintain your position as Majority or Minority holder. Otherwise, you might spend all your money buying excessive shares in a company that nobody else is trying for, when you should have been buying stocks in other companies.

The game can accommodate five players, and usually lasts about an hour. It is really easy to learn and can be a lot of fun. With seven companies on the board, and a full game of five players, it becomes really challenging keeping track of who owns how many of which company, and even if you know, it doesn't meant that you have enough money to do anything about it.