SOLARQUEST
Ranking: Three stars
Review
Compared to the Apollo 13 version, the original version of Solarquest has some unbalanced aspects.
- Income versus expenses: In the original version, properties cost less than in the Apollo 13 version, but rent isn't always less. In fact, in several cases rent is higher. For example, rent on Venus is $1400 in the original, versus $1200 in Apollo 13; rent for multiple properties around Jupiter becomes astronomical, climbing to $7400 for eleven moons in the original, versus $4630 in Apollo 13; and rent for multiple properties around Saturn is extremely high, being $6930 for ten properties in the original, versus $4700 in Apollo 13. At the same time, nonrent income in the original is less than in Apollo 13, because the money you collect at many of the Federation Stations is less (e.g., Federation Station II allows you to collect only $200 in the original, versus $800 in Apollo 13). Overall, cash is harder to come by, at least in the initial stages of a game, which means that you can easily find yourself having less money than in Apollo 13 but simultaneously having higher rent to pay. Add to this the fact that fuel stations cost the same to buy, and you more frequently find yourself without funds to purchase a fuel station, even after landing at a Federation Station.
- Properties to buy: In the original version, Neptune only has two moons, versus eight in Apollo 13. It's more fun to have more properties to buy.
- Red shift cards: In the original version, a red shift card is drawn whenever doubles are rolled for movement, which vastly increases the number of red shift cards drawn and sends players bouncing all over the board. This erratic movement pattern reduces the effectiveness of strategizing because it increases the luck factor. For example, if you have carefully calculated the number of hydrons in your fuel tank so that you have a chance of stealing an opponent's property that lacks a fuel station, the red-shift-on-doubles rule decreases the likelihood of that strategy working, because you could easily roll doubles that would send you entirely out of the system. Of course, in other circumstances, the red-shift-out can be a blessing; if you are stuck in an opponent's death zone (a system in which he or she has many properties), red shifting out prevents you from paying rent after rent. (You can avoid the frequent red shifts by playing the Strategic Solorquest Advanced Play version in the original rules--which is a version of the Apollo 13 red shift rules. But we're just commenting on the basic rules that came with our 1986 set.)
- Two players: The original version can be harder for two players because the rents around Jupiter and Saturn climb quite a bit higher than in the Apollo 13 version. With only two players, it's far easier for one of those two to get six or more of Jupiter's moons or six or more of Saturn's moons, at which point, that one player can quickly wipe the other player out.