Find your sync cable and grab your dungeon masters, friends, and loved ones. The oft-teased Universal update for Carcassonne [$9.99] is now available, meaning you can now play the tabletop-game-turned-App on your iPad without having to maximize or deal with UI not intended for use on the device's much larger screen.

As a result, the game's price has also been raised to $9.99. Bummer at a glance, but if you haven't purchased Carcassonne, don't see this as a deal breaker -- the original game is a fantastic port of the beloved tabletop game and it appears as if the iPad update is just as good.

Granted, my time has been limited, but I haven't spotted a single bruise. The UI looks sharp and reacts well and the touch controls are solid, too. Heck, even the visuals remain appealing. It's like The Coding Monkeys spent a lot of time on this update or something, right?

Oh, the parties I am already planning. If only I can convince my "cool" friends that playing Carcassonne is more fun than drinking jungle juice. Challenges. Life has them.

Is the video game killing the board game? I don't know, man, but I think you can argue that tabletop licensors themselves are doing a brilliant job driving nails into their products' respective caskets. Take a look at digital storefronts and you'll see classic tabletop-properties-turned-video-games like Carcassonne [$9.99] and Connect 4 [99¢] lined up next to non-traditional games like The Maw or Battlefield 1943. It's weird.

I think the reason why licensors choose to peddle digital versions of their games extends beyond obvious cold business realities. Games like Connect 4 translate well to digital, first of all. But more importantly, these games operate as touchstones. You remember sinking your sister's Battleship [99¢] battleship. This stuff has emotional weight.

For me, no other game conjures as many memories as Monopoly [$9.99]. This is why I buy the game so damn much. And while it's oft been digitized, until this afternoon, the game hasn't been put on the platform that makes the most sense: The iPad.

So, let's talk about it.

Foremost, this is a faithful recreation of the board game. All the pieces, all the house rules, the buildings, and the properties are present and accounted for. Furthermore, the game's presentation nails the actual board, making for a nostalgic and satisfying experience. Seriously, look at this thing. It's a perfect and slick recreation.

What's missing is all the tactile stuff: piece movements, money exchanges, card pick-ups, and property flip-flops are automated. This isn't a huge deal, but there is a small part of me that still wants to move my Top Hat Of Doom across the board and I just can't get that from this version of the game.

The dice, however, aren't automated. You'll need to grab and roll the dice with a touch and a swipe in order to progress. It's a cool touch, but also one that shows off how wonky the game's physics engine is. When rolled, the dice respond like rubber balls surround by an invisible wall, needlessly bouncing off its unseen surface. The bad dice physics also showcase a bad camera that needlessly attempts to follow the die's ridiculous bouncing. It's jarring in that "The Blair Witch Project" sort of way.

Other unautomated actions include auctions and trades. These, of course, require some bits of intuitive UI and active participation. Surprisingly, the AI holds up pretty well in both these realms -- it's savvy without being too know-it-all. It's also pretty good at housing up its properties on top of getting what it needs, so look out.

Monopoly has several game modes. There's a "Play Now" option that lets you play with up to four AI. And there's also a "Tabletop Mode" which offers pass-and-play opportunities with others. On an iPad, this is almost perfect since the touch screen is so large. I had a good time with another, at least.

I'll mention that there's a "Teacher Mode" that instructs how to play the game while you actually participate in a session. There's also a "Local Network Play" option that operates as implied.

It feels funny to talk about all this tech voodoo about Monopoly. This version does such a great job at recreating the feel of the game, conjuring up those memories, and sating that itch to play the actual board game, that you tend to forget that it's just an iOS title. Come to think of it, this is what really matters. Go buy it already.

The long-awaited Universal update for Carcassonne [$4.99] is going to be submitted to Apple for approval on December 7, developer The Coding Monkeys has announced. And as the studio declared months ago, the price of the App will raise alongside with this release. With the onslaught of submissions, it's hard to say when it will actually be approved, but we've got our fingers crossed we'll see it before the holidays.

Currently, the game is setting at $4.99, a veritable steal considering the depth and quality of the German board game turned touch screen App, but soon it'll be hiked to $9.99 on the US store. It almost goes without saying, but if you've been planning on making a purchase, grab it now it at its regular, non-Universal App price. Save some cash for some other games and Christmas gifts, eh?

The Coding Monkeys has shown off the enhanced UI for the iPad version of the game before. Built from the ground up for the larger screen, Carcassonne on the iPad looks and sounds like a faithful port. We'll give it a go both privately and with friends just to make sure, but the developer has yet to let us down, so there's no reason to think it'll stink up the place.

On a related note, following this release, the creators will now start to focus on updates and add-on packs for the game. Give us "Inns & Cathedrals," first please! Thanks!

EA Mobile has already brought two successful versions of the Monopoly franchise to the iPhone/iPod touch, classic Monopoly [$2.99] and The World Edition [$2.99], but now it's the iPad's turn. Obviously the larger screen of the iPad makes for a more enjoyable experience with a virtual board game, but EA has also added a few interesting twists to the game to make it more than just a straight digital conversion.

First of all, the other iOS versions of Monopoly are pretty hard. I've heard more than one player complain that the AI was “cheating” because they would get whooped badly so often. The iPad version looks to remedy this with Teacher Mode where you play a much friendlier AI, not just in difficulty but also in offering helpful hints and tips. The AI in Teacher Mode will pop up with information like which color properties get landed on the most so you can be sure to place hotels there, and in-depth statistics for both of you so you can see that the AI actually isn't pulling a fast one on you by comparing how each other's game unfolds.

The other great addition to Monopoly on iPad is Tabletop Mode where you can play same-device multiplayer with up to 4 people. What's cool about this mode is that you can just lay the iPad down on whatever surface you want to play on, like a table, and the relevant text and UI will reorient itself around the screen towards each player while keeping the game board in the same spot. It basically feels just like playing the actual board game, only there is no money or pieces to manage and everything is automated for you. In fact I'd say this is the definitive way to play Monopoly, and the only people who will bother to bust out the actual board game anymore are the nostalgic types who want to remember what us old people called “tactile feedback”.

Of course Monopoly on the iPad will also contain plain old regular games with a myriad of difficulty settings, game options, and rule sets. You'll also be able to play local multiplayer with up to 4 players using multiple devices over WiFi or Bluetooth, and in a nice touch the local multiplayer with be compatible with the iPhone/iPod touch versions of Monopoly. Board games have already proven to be a great fit for the iPad, and if you're a fan of Monopoly but hate keeping track of all the pieces, or have an unnatural disdain for thin elongated boxes, then you'll definitely want to check out Monopoly Classic for iPad when it releases sometime this month.

What's taking the guys behind Carcassonne [$4.99] so long to update the app with universal support? Creating and then implementing new UI ain't easy. But rest assured, the update will hit in 2010 as planned. In fact, it'll hit later this month.

In a new blog post, the crew lightly details some of the work that has been done and even shares some exciting new screenshots of the new, bigger, and enhanced UI elements we'll be fiddling with in the coming days. (And fiddle we will; this game flat-out rocks.)

"After being busy working out details, new designs and user interfaces, we are ready to commit to a release of the iPad update in December," the post reads. "So in a short while you’ll be able to enjoy Carcassonne on the big screen and we will start working on expansions and adding Game Center support."

Here's a sampling of what's being shown:

As you may have caught in the above, after this update is complete and available, the studio will be turning its eyes to updates and Game Center support. Add-on content is something even board-based fans of the title have been receiving for years, so there's a deep pool of content to pick from. Bring it on!

Exozet Games recently dropped us a note regarding the opening of a beta test for the upcoming expansion to Catan [$4.99 / HD]. The Seafarers expansion is a nautical themed addon that allows players to build shipping lanes, which work a lot like roads in the existing game. Also, there's a whole set of new water-based hex tiles to build the game board with.

We don't have many details yet, but from the looks of it, it's going to be a DLC expansion pack for the original Catan. Also, like the original, The Seafarers looks like it will be based off the original J2ME version of the game also by Exozet. It's hard to say when this will actually be released, as if they're just starting the beta test now it could be weeks or months before it is even submitted to Apple for approval.

Needless to say, as huge fans of the Catan board game, we're going to keep a close eye on this.

Czech development studio Cinemax has recently released a rather unique sort of role-playing game for the iPad. Designed to feel like an oldschool video game machine, Journey of Fortune: Dragon's Fire [App Store] seeks to turn your iPad into a digital board game. And here, it succeeds.

The game, which can be played solo or against up to three other people on the same device, puts you in the role of a mage (or magic user) on a perilous journey to kill the dragon and save the princess. Your journey is marked by an illuminated indicator somewhere among the 67 "lights" that make up the meandering path to victory. The lights are set in an illustrated, vertically scrolling "board" that artfully indicates what perils and actions / bonuses lie where, along the way.

Journey of Fortune is a dice-driven game, but the roll-of-the-die mechanic is handled via an illustrated wheel that spins with a finger-swipe. You progress forward along the board the number of paces indicated by the die face on the indicated wheel segment. You may end up landing on an uneventful spot along the path, but more likely you'll encounter a beastie to contend with, a bonus of some sort, or a teleporter that sends you many paces back whence you came (which, though frustrating, mixes up and extends the gameplay nicely).

When an enemy is encountered along the way, it's time for combat, and that's also handled via the spin-wheel dynamic. In combat mode, artifacts of both offense and defense become illuminated along the wheel, and a spin determines what your next combat move will be. These consist of:

• Melee Attack: Magical Dagger and Sword
• Attack Spells: Fireball, Lightning, Wall of Fire and Poison Strike
• Defense Spells: Heal, Heal II, Shield, Shield II, Mana, Mana II and Fear

In standard RPG fashion, your character has a certain level of Hit Points and Mana at any moment. Sustaining a monster attack drains Hit Points, and casting spells saps your Mana. Both can be recovered by Defense Spells on the wheel and by landing on certain bonus spots on the board. The combat wheel also allows you to indicate how much Mana the next attack should use, the more the mightier your attack, of course.

While I enjoy spending a bit of time with a nice RPG, they're really not my forte. I just don't have the time to put into them. And I've never really spent any time with RPG-style board games. But Journey of Fortune is strangely appealing to me. The single-player game (how I've spent my time here) hits the ground running and moves things along at a pace that seems well suited to play on a mobile device, where you're not really looking for a game consisting of hours upon hours. And, for a title that strives to deliver a digital board game experience, what device is more ideal than the iPad? It's a game that feels quite "right" for the platform, but this first release is not without a few issues.

The game takes a little while to get the hang of, on first approach. The title screen provides a brief list of play rules, but it doesn't send you into the game feeling very well educated. Gameplay is a fairly straightforward affair, however, and a sufficient comfort level shouldn't elude most gamers for very long. The developers, who are active in our forums, indicate that they'd like to improve the help / hint system in a future update, but prefer not to employ any sort of window overlay, which would shatter the board game feel of the title. Another criticism I might raise is the lack of a save feature; when you jump to another app, the game is gone for good. However, the developer indicates this will be remedied in the game's next update. Global leaderboards and a choice of difficulty level for the single-player mode are also on the way.

That said, Journey of Fortune: Dragon's Fire has quite impressed me. I've found it to be surprisingly engrossing to play and a title I would reach for to demonstrate the iPad to a friend unfamiliar. It's an experience I can recommend to any iPad gamer, even if RPG's aren't their thing.

If all this sounds appealing, today would be the day to jump, as Journey of Fortune: Dragon's Fire is on sale (today only) for $.99 -- 75% off the standard $3.99 asking price. A brief video of the gameplay can be seen here.

Board games and other games with single device local multiplayer have been a real hit around my house on the iPad. The large screen of the device really shines in any kind of local multiplayer scenario, and I've had a ton of fun playing everything from single-screen racing games like Danger Derby [$4.99] to excellent adaptations of board games like Small World [$6.99]. We were happy to see the original release of Catan for the iPhone last year, and ever since I realized how much fun board games are on the device, I've been looking for Catan on the iPad.

Unfortunately, there are two notable issues with this release. First off, Catan HD [$4.99] is yet another HD version of a game with no real noteworthy differences between the iPhone game aside from higher resolution art and a different UI. (Something several people on our forums are voicing their disappointment about.) Secondly, in the shadow of games like Small World for the iPad or Carcassonne [$4.99] for the iPhone, Catan HD feels lackluster in comparison.

The high resolution graphics don't look that great, and are made even worse by slowly animating between a few frames, giving the whole game a jerky appearance. Also, Carcassonne really set the standard for multiplayer options in a board game, and it's unfortunate to see that even the iPad version of the game launching without bluetooth or online multiplayer.

If you're looking to play Settlers of Catan without dealing with all the pieces of the physical game, Catan HD is a decent alternative, just don't expect anything more than the iPhone game running at a higher resolution.

Earlier this month we took a look at Neuroshima Hex [$2.99], the iPhone adaptation of a strategy-heavy boardgame based in the Neuroshima universe. This game world straddles several sci-fi cliches and includes things like nuclear war, a sentient robotic revolt, mutants, humans doing whatever they can to survive, and even somewhat intelligent carnivorous plant life. Adapted from the tabletop Neuroshima game, Neuroshima Hex features four of the main factions and is fast-paced enough that calling it an "action" board game seems appropriate.

Like many strategy games with unique rulesets, Neuroshima Hex is fairly complicated. Playing the game involves selecting one of the four factions, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, then playing with a 35 tile "deck". Players start by placing their headquarters on the game board, and the rest of the game revolves around attacking the enemy HQ while defending your own utilizing the tiles you draw at the start of your turn. Your deck of tiles consists of three different types, tiles that contain different types of units, modules which buff those units, and instant action tiles that do things like destroy or slide a unit, or even initiate combat.

The issue with all this is that the learning curve of the game is less of a curve and more of a wall, as the developers didn't do much to make the game approachable to newbies aside from including a brief tutorial video. There is a help section in the game, but is isn't convenient at all to refer to while you're actually playing. Once you get a hang of strategically using your hex tiles to attack the opponent as well as deal with their threats on the game board Neuroshima Hex is a lot of fun... But as suggested in the thread in our forums getting there requires reading additional material on the game or even printing out a quick reference guide PDF.

In comparison, Carcassonne [$4.99] features a fully interactive voiced over tutorial that did an absolutely fantastic job at introducing new players to the game. Carcassonne is also host to some great online multiplayer options while Neuroshima Hex only comes with single device multiplayer. Thankfully, the developers have posted in our forums acknowledging these issues and plan on addressing them in the future.

Neuroshima Hex is a fun fast paced strategy game, and if you already know how to play, you'll likely have a great time jumping right in to this iPhone port. If you're intrigued by hex grid strategy games, and this is the first you've heard of Neuroshima Hex, just be aware that you've got quite a bit of work in front of you as you climb the steep learning curve.

Being so involved in video games, I fully admit that I'm often woefully unaware of really awesome board games and it isn't until they get an equally awesome port that they even pop up on my radar. A couple of days ago I hadn't the slightest idea what Neuroshima Hex! was, but after watching the trailer and checking out the game, it's high up on my most anticipated game list. Neuroshima Hex! is a tactical hexagonal board game set in the Neuroshima tabletop RPG universe. This universe is host to fantastic things like nuclear war, rebellious sentient artificial intelligence, carnivorous vegetation, mutants, and humans that are just trying to survive in the middle of all this.

The board game is playable by up to four players (or single player against AI opponents), utilizing four different factions each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The goal of the game is to take over the enemy headquarters by placing tiles on the board. There are a number of videos on YouTube detailing exactly how the game is set up and played, and it sounds wonderfully complicated.

Neuroshima Hex! is being released this month, and after seeing exactly how awesome board games could be on the iPhone with Carcassonne [$4.99], I'm really excited for the game. It's fully licensed, features all of the original art, and there's even plans for an iPad version in the works.

Admittedly, I have shied away from board games on the iPhone; very few of them offering the accessibility and multi-player fun of dusting off an old classic and sitting around a coffee table with friends. Even still, I had never heard of the award-winning German tile-based board game named after a world heritage listed French castle prior to our preview last month. But that's all water under the bridge now, as Carcassonne [App Store] is definitely hot right now and set to rocket up the App Store charts.

For those apparently hiding under the same rock as I have been; Carcassonne is a board game played with 71 tiles, artistically depicting fortified structures, fields, cloisters and roads (these being the key elements of the game). Tiles are randomly drawn and played on the table in turn by each player, of which there are up to 5 players at once, and placed next to each other so that each landmark aligns perfectly. Points are awarded by placing one of your limited tokens, your 'Meeples', on an element of the tile you've just played; be it road, structure or field. Points are scored both during the game and at the end, with completed city structures awarding bonus points.

Carcassonne has undoubtedly raised the bar high for spit and polish. Every menu, game screen or tutorial is painted in gorgeous wooden hues as a tribute to its hand-crafted, table-top origins. The tutorials themselves comprise both fully-voiced demonstrations and a thoughtfully illustrated game manual which does wonders to explain the initially abstract scoring system.

Carcassonne isn't a difficult game to grasp, but it does have an extraordinary amount of depth. Advanced considerations such as where to play your farmer Meeples (which aren't retrievable after placing them) so that they are in the largest field possible supplying the most completed structures (thus scoring points) will often prove the difference between a game otherwise left largely to luck of the draw.

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Board gamers will be pleased to learn that the hit German tile-based game, Carcassonne has finally arrived in the App Store. The official port includes original artwork, 8 different AI players, and even internet multiplayer with push notifications.

Build a medieval landscape, tile by tile, claim landmarks with your followers and score points. As a winner of the prestigious "Spiel des Jahres" award in 2001, the game allows for a plethora of play styles and strategies.

The game comes as an iPhone-only verison, but a universal iPad version is on the way. The iPad universal will be a free update to existing owners of the game, and the game will reportedly go up in price at that time. First impressions are rolling in our forums.

Carcassonne developer The Coding Monkeys has confirmed with us that the iPad version of the upcoming Apple handheld title will be a universal update to the initial App Store release this summer.

Just don't expect the update to hit in the immediate.

According to developer Martin Pittenauer, The Coding Monkeys haven't started work on the larger version of the game. Instead, they've focused their efforts on the iPhone and iPod Touch versions slated for release in May.

"The iPhone version will be released this month and we plan to start work on the iPad after that," developer Martin Pittenauer told us via e-mail.

"We poured a lot of love into the game already and feel the iPad version deserves the same level of attention, so it's hard to make promises for a release date right now. But we plan to have the game universal later this summer."

Universal updates allow handheld Apps to run natively on the iPad, which avoids creators from having to juggle two similar Apps on the Store at the same time.

The Carcassonne update will be free for purchasers of the App, but the price of the whole package will be raised from its initial $4.99 price point once the update goes live on iTunes.

"Once the app is universal we will end introductory pricing and sell the game for $9.99," Pittenauer told us in a later e-mail. "So, if you buy early, you essentially get a discount on the version that runs on iPhone, iPod, and iPad."

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Back when the iPad was first announced, one genre that it seemed people on our forums really wanted to see on the device was board games. A number have developers have answered the call, but one of the most interesting offerings we've seen so far is Days of Winder's Small World. Small World [App Store] is a fantasy-based world conquest game where players take turns playing the included races which cover the gamut of orcs, elves, and more to take over everything.

For more information about the game, you can either check out the overview on the Days of Wonder site or check oug this shockingly articulate kid named Hayden who does a surprisingly good job explaining everything you'd ever want to know about playing the board game in this video:

Small World has some serious board game streed cred', named Games Magazine's game of the year and selling close to 60,000 copies worldwide, Small World should be an excellent fit on the iPad. I realize it's getting cliche to say this game is also on the list of games I'm totally loading on my iPad, but, well, it is.

iPad App Store Link: Small World for iPad, $4.99

Those of you who were turned off by the Here and Now Edition of Monopoly that had been in the App Store will be pleased to find out that EA has finally released the Classic version.

Monopoly brings the classic Monopoly board game to the App Store. The game offers a somewhat gratuitously 3D view of the game and even offers internationally localized versions of the board. The game seems to pull your iPhone's region settings (see here) to present the proper board. The game comes with 3 levels of difficulty against AI opponents and also offers local Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (2 players), and Pass & Play for your friends.

There also appear to be plenty of rule customizations to give you the game you're used to (Auction option also available, but cut off on screenshot):

The game is embellished with 3D graphics and animations of your pieces moving from one place to another, and the game also allows you pick one of several 3D rooms in which to play the game.

App Store Link: Monopoly, $4.99