Yes, I have a copy of Settlers of Catan. I would have considered it one of the better ones, though I did bastardize the rules slightly (removed the robber and soldiers) for my young kids. Sorry to hear about your friends experience.

I haven't tried Heat or Pandemic. Thanks for the tips there. Enough time before christmas to do a bit of research on those!

Totally agree that board games have evolved a lot in recent decades. They are no longer just frivolous dice-rolling games of chance and I think that's a great thing.