My family is a BIG game-playing family - cards, board games, party games, word games... We love them all! At least 3/4 of our free time together is spent playing a game. Because of this, we are always looking for new games to try and can be pretty picky about gameplay, time it takes to learn the game, and quality of the pieces involved. I was first introduced to this game when it was given as a Christmas present to an older sibling while we were all home visiting our parents for the holidays. I had previously played the original Pandemic game with some friends while I was in grad school, and I quickly realized I was not a fan of the co-op style of that game and I missed the me-vs.-you style I was used to! This game brought me back into my comfort zone while still keeping true to Pandemic's roots and style. It was not very hard to learn, although I had to keep the rule book nearby for the first couple games to help walk me through scoring properly. II have never played with children, though I imagine it could be a little difficult for younger children to learn because of all the options you have during your turn and the bigger words used in game-play (like the different mutation levels).I have played this game with 2 players a number of times and with more players a few times. Both are very fun was to play! It is a quick game when you play with 2 players (less than 30 minutes), but that makes it easy to play multiple rounds! With more people, the game takes longer, but we have never hit more than one hour. More people also make the strategy a bit different, so it is great to mix it up!I also love thee quality and design of the pieces and the board. I am confident that all the materials will hold up well to lots of game play as they are made of sturdy materials! The design (coloured cubes to represent your virus infection, a Petri dish to keep everything organized, and the cities and infection cards) is brilliant!Overall, I love this game! After playing someone else's copy and a few times in a board game cafe in Toronto, ON, I just had to buy it for myself! I would highly recommend this game to anyone (whether you're familiar with Pandemic or not) looking for a new, quick game to play.