The Settlers III

Review

by Nick Smith

Real-time "god-game" simulations have been around for years and one of the first and very best was Settlers, in which you to take control of a small group of shipwrecked people to build up a small colony.

Though sharing much of the same plot as its predecessors, the interface has been revamped and refined in Settlers III. The graphics have been improved, the characters given more personality, and the gameplay fine-tuned to speed up the processes. For example, you no longer have to connect your communities with elaborate roads or tracks, because regular routes will turn into paths after a while. Apart from these outward improvements, however, the gameplay give may give Settlers veterans a feeling of déjà vu.

This edition in the series includes a very useful Internet multiplayer feature and the screens have improved in color, texture and content to allow same-screen playing. Settlers III plays at a sedate, relaxed pace (even on a fast PC) and you'll spend quite a bit of time watching your settlers carry out your commands. This leads to the comforting feeling of supervision. As you leave the mundane tasks (such as building or fighting) to your subjects, you can look at the big picture and plan your strategies more thoroughly.

This game can be heartily recommended to strategy gamers who have not played the previous Settlers games, but previous Settlers veterans might be a little disappointed in that, in spite of the improvements, the game feels much the same as before.