Letter perfect. We build ancient monuments and wonders to impress the King in Utopia and spell our way Boggle-style through hedge rows in Amuse Amaze.

An offer you can't refuse. We play by mob rule this week, packing heat and hijacking hooch with two gangster themed games: Chicago Poker and Family Business.

Ground Control to Major Tom. We take to the stars to haul freight for The Man in Galaxy Trucker and then battle through a collapsing star to become the Galactic Emperor.

Board games are team sports, too. There are plagues to fight and a village to defend! We dive into Pandemic and Ghost Stories, two in the latest wave of co-op "us vs. the world" games.

Avoid the Lulo List. More games inspired by the Spanish speaking world. We duel for glory in Toledo and angle for rum and power in Cuba. Plus two classic card games little known to gringos.

No pasarán! From building towers of people in Catalonia to manning the barricades in Madrid, we play España 1936 and Castellers, two games from Spanish publisher Devir.

The alphabet of giants. We shake the buildings from our sleeves by playing Metropolys and Manhattan, two simple, elegant games about skyscrapers.

Laddergram puzzle created by David Coleson. Print, solve, send us the answer. Correct entries could win a free game!

Puzzle primer. We explore a new trend: the convergence between puzzles and games. We review six different titles including On the Dot, three forms of Ubongo, Code Omega and Santy Anno.

Itatake mas. With chopsticks in hand and sake cups full, we dig into Wasabi, a tile laying game between rival sushi chefs. Dave also reports from the Obsessive Collector's Desk on card and dice organization.