Unless you’re from Europe, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of the board game Carcassonne before. I sure haven’t, but after giving it a look – and keeping in mind the success of Catan – it looks like we’re getting another solid XBLA release this week. And finally we get another game that makes use of the Vision camera. It still doesn’t quite feel like it was worth $40, though.

The official word on Carcassonne:

Using strategic tactics and a little luck, one to five players take turns selecting from 72 tiles displaying various features of a city including roads, the walls of a castle or fields. The medieval countryside thrives as players and their opponents place tiles and complete towns, roads, and farms while competing to accumulate the most points.

Game Features

• Special AI settings to challenge any skill level
• Challenge your friends – Up to five players can play over Xbox LIVE or up to four players can play on the same Xbox 360
• Interact with new and old friends alike over Xbox LIVE while you play “Carcassonne” with the Xbox LIVE Vision camera
• Helpful step-by-step tutorial to teach you the game in minutes
• Skill-based matchmaking for ranked games
• The complete “Carcassonne” includes 72 tiles and all rule sets
• “Carcassonne” includes the “Rivers II” expansion set - 12 additional tiles
• Earn up to 200 Gamerscore and 12 Achievements

The game goes live this Wednesday, June 27, for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).