Doctor Who

Pay a visit to the Who universe and pound the heck out of your opponent

• Doctor Who
  The Collectable Trading Card Game
• The Multimedia Group
• 2 players
• 60-card Starter Deck: $8.95
• 12-card Booster Pack: $1.99

octor Who is the latest media property to be translated into a collectable card game, following in the footsteps of Star Trek, Star Wars and even Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail. In the game, players don't actually take on the role of Doctor Who or even another Time Lord; rather, players muster both good and evil forces (Creatures) from the Doctor Who universe to do battle on their behalf.

Reflecting the time-spanning scope of Doctor Who, the playing area is divided into three Time Zones: Past, Present and Future. All Creatures are color-coded and may only be played in their proper zone. Each turn players must choose a Zone and, for that turn, they may only play cards, attack, etc., in that Zone.

To win, players must run each other out of Time cards, which are kept in a separate stack. This is done by attacking the opponent with Creatures and scoring "hits" (1 hit = 1 lost Time card). Creatures can block and kill each other, and combat is resolved by comparing their Energy and Substance attributes. To spice things up players can slap down an Episode card, which inflicts unhappy effects upon their opponent until the opponent can accumulate a certain number of Doctors and Creatures to solve the problem.

This game is a mixed bag. On the one hand it's easy to learn and plays quickly. The Time Zones concept is wonderfully innovative and creates a three-front war, often forcing players to make difficult decisions. But the game's simplicity is also a disappointment, since it's mostly combat-oriented, with wave upon wave of Creatures duking it out each turn. While the Episode cards don't involve combat, ultimate victory comes only through fighting. So the game's spirit is unlike the television show's, because, although the show had plenty of action, the Doctor usually solved problems non-violently.

The graphic design is also inconsistent. Most of the art consists of stills from decades of episodes, so the playing hand is always full of campy -- but fun -- robots, aliens and spaceships, many in black and white from the old days. But some cards have vague, New Age computer art which bears no relation to the card's title. Also, the typeface is deplorable, a wiggly, futuristic font that is almost illegible in the fine print. None of the cards have "flavor" text -- character quotes or colorful information -- either.

Disappointingly, neither of the first two starter decks tested had any Episode cards, and one deck was a little short on Time cards. None of these kinks break the game, though, and it's really quite fun to play. It's also fun to be reminded of all those old adventures.

I really enjoyed teaming Daleks up with Neanderthals to take on the Robomen. Exterminate! -- Brooks

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