After a couple of early attempts we had temporarily given up on power grid as it seemed too linear and run-away game with first person to take lead staying there. But I had read about its non-linearity and wanted to persist with exploring it a bit. And that does pay off. Holding off at the right moments is indeed important in this game and the pressing on of one's advantage has more dimensions than do games like Settlers of Catan, Puerto Rico etc.
The aim of the game is to connect cities on a map, and power them using power plants that you but through auctions. The power plants can run on 5 different types of resources including green energy. What makes the game exciting is that the order of players can change at each round depending on the number of cities and the highest power plant, and in two phases the order reverses making it crucial to maintain one's position carefully in different parts as the game progresses.
The resources for the plants are bought from a finite supply and you get to buy them for cheap if you have less cities and/or less expensive power plants, a mechanism that helps balance the game. An important thing to remember is not to buy too mean cheap plants since each player can hold only so many at one time (4 in the 2-player version, 3 otherwise)
As you power more cities, you get more money (Electro), but the increment per city gets smaller and sometimes it is worth asking if the extra resources will pay off for themselves. All in all, a more dynamic game with not too many variables.
Familiarity with a game goes a long way in befriending it. Initially the mechanisms, the role-play seem alien, but play it 3-4 times and you start understanding the finer aspects of it and appreciating the nuances. Another well designed game.
