Back from holiday and raring for cardboard

After a month of voluntary cardboard abstinence (my wife took on a long holiday) I am viewing my gaming shelf with a sharp appetite. Two games, in particular, are screaming 'Play me!' - both are from GMT and both are sequels (of a sort). 1989, is a variant of Twilight Struggle, with a twist that the scorings are resolved with a card battle similar to 'We the People/Hannibal'. Early reports are very favourable. The second is 'Virgin Queen' and this might take a little longer to get to table with its requirement for 6 players and complexity. I am also hoping to to start writing again on the blog and this brief entry is a baby step in that direction