#12: Lord of the Rings (Knizia)

The only truly cooperative game on the list (unless you use the Sauron expansion), Knizia's Lord of the Rings is an amazing gaming experience - using cards & a special die (along with atmospheric board & component art) to create a compelling story arc.

Sheila Davis: "A dramatically innovative system in a wonderfully fun game.We play 2-player and it's tough. Our poor hobbits have been lost to the darkness far too many times. But it's wonderful to work through all the obstacles and finally toss that nasty ring into Mount Doom."

Doug Adams: "Should be regarded as a masterpiece of game design - wonderful group-think game."

William Eldard: "This one was designed to true to its theme, and it does so with flying colors. The 'cooperative' game design captures the flavor of Tolkien's tales, and the difficulty in achieving a win (We've only won once in a couple of dozen tries) is even truer to the theme --- After all, wasn't the Hobbit's quest nearly impossible?"