Shockingly good. Nice small scale geo board with a perfect balance between defensibility and accessibility. The tension added by the massive bonus in the middle provides an extra frisson to the existing tactical menu provided by the easily defended bonuses on the left side vs the slightly larger but still obtainable bonuses in other areas. Plays great from 2 players to 6+ and 2v2.
This is a perfect example of small map play, with big fun attached. Your best strategy here is prudence (imo), where a well timed move for a continent or a good backstab will put you in a powerful position!
Pretty with a great layout, any edge you can gain here will help!