Culcept is a title that's easy to miss in the sea of high-profile games. The Monopoly-esque board game is easy to learn but contains plenty of depth for those willing to master it.

Culcept is a book created by the Goddess, Culdra. An evil cepter - individual with the power to summon from the book - is set to conquer Culdcept and rule the universe. Yes it's an excuse to make a board game, but it's a grand story nonetheless.

The basic rules are simple - the player who reaches the set amount of magic points first, wins. At the start a player draws a card a rolls the die. The cards are made up of creatures and magic spells to be added to a players' deck. The board consists of squares that represent different elements - fire, water, forest, and desert. Creature cards can be placed on any element title, but if the creature matches that element it is boosted with HP. When a creature is placed on a tile the player owns that area. Every time you land on that area you can boost up the creature with magic points, transform the land to a different element, or switch the creature with another placed elsewhere on the board. When your opponent lands on it, they can battle the creature to try to take ownership, or pay a toll fee.

Like the 'GO' tile on Monopoly, Culcept has two castle tiles. Each time the main castle is passed points are racked up based on your current ownership of the board. The more ownership players posses, the more points gained when the board is cleared one time around. At a castle you can upgrade any creature on the board with magic points.

Besides creature cards the deck contains elemental cards that will limit/increase the opponent's rolls, or aid in battle. Cards can add HP, strength, or perform special attacks. In a battle, the player that landed on the opponent's tile chooses a creature from his/her deck to attack. Defeat the creature and you take the opponents tile. Be defeated or lose in a draw and you pay magic points in the amount of HP the opponent's creature had. The battles are pretty random and the results don't involve much strategy. Many times the creature who attacks first will win, even if the other creature is leveled up. A better battle system would have enhanced the overall gameplay.

The main mode is played out in dramatic RPG style. Characters and enemies look like they were ripped from Final Fantasy Tactics and the main story contains light-hearted text (Players will be aided by a talking staff in the journey). The enemies have their fair share of token phrases to say that keeps each game from being stagnant. The music is grandiose and much like an RPG title. The in-game manual is very well done to makes it a breeze to start off.

Culcept is a sleeper title that definitely deserves a look. Up to four players can battle it out in property-gaining fun. It's a fun title that boils down to good old-fashioned board game fun that just happens to be on a DVD.