Playful Entertainment, the publisher of the Xbox Live Arcade version of Ticket to Ride has announced that the second map in the series - Ticket to Ride Europe - will be available for purchase on July 30.

Merlin’s Company is now available through your local game store as well as from our US webstore. Learn more about this exciting new expansion on the Merlin’s Company web page.

Or you can order your copy now!

Here’s an early review…

“Superb expansion to the base game. DOW has resisted the temptation to toss even more chrome into the game and kept the expansion relatively lean. That doesn’t mean you don’t get lots of new gameplay - the changes actually do very much rework the game - but you don’t need to wade through another big rulebook and you don’t need to re-explain a bunch of things.”

Patrick Korner - Boardgame News

The Xbox Live Arcade version features:

Variable Difficulty Levels: Either locally or in Xbox LIVE® matches, choose Easy, Medium, or Hard A.I. opponents to challenge your gaming skills.

Multiplayer: Play with up to three of your friends on a single console, or take on Ranked or Player matches over Xbox LIVE with up to five players.

Leaderboards and Achievements: Post your Xbox LIVE match results to the leader boards. Follow game stats for each player such as Highest Score, Total Trains Played and Time Spent Playing. And track your progress with twelve new achievements.

Camera support: See yourself and your friends during gameplay with Xbox LIVE Vision Camera support.

Ticket to Ride for the Xbox Live Arcade is available for 800 Microsoft points and is rated E for Everyone by ESRB.

You can learn more about or purchase the Xbox Live Arcade version of Ticket to Ride on Xbox Live Arcade.

Here are some screenshots of the Xbox Live version…

We are moving into a new data center and adding new servers, bringing improved reliability and performance.

We thank you for your understanding.

UPDATE: the maintenance operation has been postponed to Monday June 30. Sorry for the inconvenience.

To learn more and enter the contest go to the Card Game Trivia Contest on Boardgamegeek.com. Entries must be made before 12 Midnight, June 9 and all registered BoardGameGeek members worldwide are eligible to play. Winners will be announced on BoardGameGeek.com on Tuesday, June 10.

The USA 1910 expansion features 181 large format cards including: 39 new Destination Tickets, a GlobeTrotter bonus card for completing the most tickets, and replacement cards for all the cards from the original game deck. There are also 3 different ways to play Ticket to Ride. It’s a “must-have” expansion for all Ticket to Ride players.

Learn more or order yours today at the Days of Wonder webstore.

While we have resisted raising prices over the past few years, fast-rising fuel and raw material costs, combined with a weakening dollar, have led to significant increases in our production and shipment costs for games. These issues have finally reached a point where we can no longer ignore them.

Effective immediately we are changing the suggested retail price in North America of Ticket to Ride, Ticket to Ride Europe and Ticket to Ride Marklin to $50; Mystery of the Abbey, Pirate’s Cove, Shadows over Camelot and Colosseum to $60; BattleLore to $80; and Gang of Four and the Ticket to Ride 1910 Expansion to $20. Prices for games and expansion not listed here remain unchanged.

These new prices are already reflected in our web store, and we have notified our distributors and retailers.

Price increases are never popular, but we felt that we owed you an explanation for why these changes are necessary. They will enable us to continue to bring you fun games to enjoy with your family and friends for many years to come.

- The Team at Days of Wonder -

Memoir ‘44 Air Pack Airplane Painting Contest
The Envelope Please…

Due to the writer’s strike we’ve had to forgo the big televised ceremony, but the winners of the Memoir ‘44 Air Plane Painting Contest are…

Second Runner Up: Eldurand - Me-109

First Runner Up: Whiterook - P40

Grand Prize Winner (drumroll please…):

Brummbär - Me-109

Each of the two runners-up will also be given a copy of the Memoir ‘44 expansion of their choice and Brummbär will receive a custom, large-scale, printed map of his own Disaster at Dieppe scenario. In addition, we’ve arranged for Disaster at Dieppe to be printed in an upcoming edition of Game Trade Magazine.

Congratulations To Brummbär, Whiterook and Eldurand and thanks to everyone who participated in the painting contest.

A new Memoir ‘44 Scenario - Baraque de Fraiture (Parker’s Crossroads) - is now available free with purchase from the Days of Wonder webstore or from participating Days of Wonder retail stores.

Richard Borg and the Days of Wonder elves have created a special limited-edition Memoir ‘44 battle scenario for the Winter 2007 season. The scenario - Baraque de Fraiture (Parker’s Crossroads) - was an important part of of the Battle of the Bulge and took place near the small Belgian village of Fraiture just before Christmas in 1944.

The scenario is printed in full color as a 10 x 7 inch postcard and is our gift to you this holiday season. The Winter 2007 Scenario is available in the US from local storefront retailers who carry Memoir ‘44. Stop by your local Days of Wonder retailer and ask for your copy.

Or, purchase any game, expansion, or other accessory from the Days of Wonder web store in December and you will automatically receive a free copy of the 2007 Winter scenario included in your shipment while supplies last.

Be sure to pickup your copy of the Baraque de Fraiture (Parker’s Crossroads) Winter 2007 Scenario from your local retailer, or by ordering from the Days of Wonder webstore this holiday season.

Happy Holidays from Richard Borg and your friends at Days of Wonder

Note: the 2007 Winter Scenario is only available from the US Webstore and retailers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The DoW Air Squadron