The Settlers: Fourth Edition

Chop trees and saw them into lumber. Hack stone from quarries. Use stone blocks and lumber to build other buildings such as mines to harvest iron, coal and gold from the mountains. Build farms and grain mills and bakeries to make food for the miners. Build tool shops and weapon smiths to make tools and weapons. Tools are used by the craftsmen in the other buildings and weapons are used by the military to crush your opponents.

This is the basic formula that's been used in the Settlers games since the first edition. It's a good formula, and I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Several new elements have been added for this edition, such as ships and the ability to settle in remote locations. The magic system has been reworked, too. However, four editions later, the game still plays pretty much the same as it always has. Build your town to the point where it can support a military, then go knock the daylights out of your opponent.

The well drawn, detailed graphics, along with helpful sound effects and a fitting musical score make this edition seem fresh and new for about half an hour. After that, you may as well be playing the third edition.

If you know what I mean when I say "Life is Feudal", you'll want a copy of this game to complete your collection. Otherwise, find a clearance priced copy of Settlers 3 and save yourself a few bucks.