So let's notate: the outer design of Reykholt is once already great. From the graphical layout of the box through to the illustrations of the cards and the design of all components: Reykholt knows how to please. But can the mechanics match up? At least it is a Uwe Rosenberg game...

Depending on the number of players (1-4, yes even a solo play is possible), the gameboard gives us more or less various actions to chose from. In a manner of a worker placement game we alternately choose from the available actions by placing our 3 workers on the board in phase 1 of the game. As we play a gardening game all actions have to do with seeding, harvesting and taking new vegetables directly from the market.

Seeds have to be planted in a personal greenhouse that is divided into several parcels. And – after seeding a good in a free parcel – a harvest will fetch you the vegetable. Next to seeding and harvesting actions new greenhouses can be acquired and service cards can be taken to get missions and bonuses at special situations.

The placing of our workers in phase 1 is followed by a regular harvesting time in which players can harvest one time from each of their filled greenhouses. After that it's tourism time, because gardening in Iceland is so unusual that it has become a full-fledged tourist magnet. Around the gameboard there is a tourism counter, demanding different conditions to be met to advance forward. Of course, every single condition has again to do with our gardening progress. To advance you must discard from your hard-earned goods, as shown on the signpost of the table your standing on.

And of course, it is exactly this tourism track that determines who wins the game (the player who advanced their manager the furthest on this track). So, it's not the sheer mass of vegetables you have to harvest, you better should check your next requirements on this tourism track, before you decide what do plant next.

To sum it up, b>Reykholt is a light worker placement game with a great design. The game itself is a little bit weaker than the equipment and the artwork let us assume. I mean it is a pretty solid game, but for a big Rosenberg I am slightly missing that certain something. The game is more a worker placement for beginners than a heavy brainer for the experienced gamers. But the idea and the all the details of the game are really lovingly done, so you just must love the game. With all that excellent components Renegade has spent the game, it is really a worthy introduction in the huge world of Rosenberg games.