> Nobody else around the table is going to know the game better than him, and hence, there really isn't much sport in bringing your Dominion box out and suggesting we play. This reviewer is perfectly proud of the fact that a newbie doesn't stand a chance against a veteran player.
That's basically true for any game where there's a wide range of possible skill levels. The question is -- how much fun is it, as a beginner, to play against an expert, knowing that you're probably not going to win?
Most games like this (chess, Starcraft, etc), it's not fun at all: the core strategy is to damage your opponent's ability to play and execute their strategy.
Losing in Dominion isn't nearly so bad. A beginner can look at the cards, form a strategy, and see their deck beginning to start to work (or see that it doesn't work) before the game ends. That means you can still try things and have a sense of satisfaction, even if you end up losing.
If you're the competitive type who can't have fun if you're not going to win, then sure, playing someone at a much higher skill level isn't going to work. But lots of people don't mind losing if the process isn't crushing / humiliating like chess, and in those situations, Dominion is a pretty good game. I know a couple where the husband is really into board games, and the wife thinks games are kind of fun but not super-serious; Dominion is one of their go-to games, because he can minmax to his hearts content while still making it fun for her.