A very simple family-friendly racing game seeking treasures while managing your cargo, crew and the demand of the port authorities.

Jamaica, at its core, is a simultaneous action points game. Two dice are rolled and assigned to a day and night phase. Everyone will play a card face down and the table will reveal at the same time. These cards have day and night actions which will determine what you do in a turn. Very simple to teach and fun to play. By the end of the game, everyone will be talking like pirates and the theme leads to some very pun-ny moments (most I cannot repeat in a review).

The treasure cards with effects can be a little finicky to manage and, although I know they were going for the treasure map look, that rule book is tad bit irritating especially when you are trying to teach it to people.

Lastly, if you are getting to get this, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND (notice the caps?) that you get the expansion, Jamaica:The Crew. It will add a layer of learning to the game but smooths out all the issues we had with the base game including the treasure effect cards. The expansion speeds up the game and introduces another win condition. We can't say enough about it.

But for now, Jamaica is a great game that we recommend for families or large groups (plays up to 6). It's pure and simple fun that'll have you talking like a pirate and the finer points of booty. Enjoy!