I was recently given a copy of Isla Dorada, which is a relatively recently released board game. It is beautifully presented, with a map of the mythical island on which the game is set, lots of cards and various playing pieces, including three large, detailed figures. The aim is to travel round the island, visiting cities for which you have information about hidden treasure, fulfilling the terms of an overall destiny card but avoiding the city for which you have a hidden curse.
Rather than each player travelling independently, a single token represents the entire party and each round begins with bidding for leadership of the expedition (and thus the right to determine the next move). This is paid for with various cards drawn through the game and means that, if you have been unlucky or unwise with your cards, you might not be able to drag the party towards the places you want to visit (or away from the ones you want to avoid).
It is an interesting mechanic and one that I haven’t come across before in a board game. This afternoon we had some friends round and got to try the game with five players. It is definitely a social game which works well with a good table full of players; it can be played with just two (Jane and I are pondering how we can improve the duo game, perhaps using some dice) but the more the merrier (up to the six allowed by the number of cards available. Highly recommended.