Games:  All ages
The Journey's of Paul
Publisher:  Prismatech
For more information or to order:  www.cactusgamedesign.com

When my children saw this game on display at a homeschool convention they immediately came running to me saying, "Come and look at this cool game!"  Imagine their delight when the developers of the game provided us with a copy to review!  The first thing that drew my family to The Journey's of Paul was the playing surface -- a large, full-color map depicting the Roman Empire in 60 AD.  The creators of the game believe in excellence and have made sure the map is not only beautifully done, but historically accurate as well.  The game utilizes three different decks of playing cards, each with detailed artwork.  This isn't your normal board game in a box either -- this game comes packaged in a cool tube!

The Journey's of Paul is a strategy game that the whole family can enjoy. Set during a time of growth and persecution for the Christian church, the object of the game is to start cell groups and establish churches throughout the region.  The winner is the first to establish 3 churches and arrive in Rome.  This is not a Bible trivia game and no knowledge of the Bible is required in order to play.  There are directions for playing basic or advanced versions of the game.  Having never played a game like this, we had a hard time visualizing things when we read the instructions, so decided to learn as we went along.  It didn't take us long to catch on, though!  In fact, the game is very easy to play and we've now graduated to the advanced version.  During each turn, players state whether they are traveling by land or sea toward their next destination or building a church, then they draw an Event card which may prevent the player from advancing as planned. (One word of caution - some of the drawings on the Event cards may be disturbing for very young children.)  Some of the obstacles that occur are Political Unrest, Sickness, Arrest, and Member Disunity. At the beginning of the game and during each turn, players draw an Opportunity card. These cards, if played wisely, allow you to counteract the negative impact of the Event cards and also allow you to establish your church more quickly.  The events and opportunities portrayed on the cards are things that the early church and the Apostle Paul really faced.  The game took us a little over an hour to play and definitely left us eager to play more!

There is a lot of educational value packed into this game!  Thinking skills are strengthened and History, Bible, and Geography are all brought to life. The Journey's of Paul gave our family a deeper appreciation and better understanding of the struggles Christians faced in the 1st Century. 

Making the Grade:  A
Cost:  $34.95
Value for Your Homeschool Dollar:  10
Review provided by Cindy Prechtel, Editor