The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary

The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary (original German title: Die Siedler II: Die nächste Generation) is a remake of the classic real-time strategy game The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici. It was announced in July 2006. The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary features up-to-date 3D graphics and new gameplay additions. The game has been released in Germany in September 2006 and in the United Kingdom in October 2006. An English-language version is also available in various other regions, including Scandinavia, Asia and Canada. The game was not released in the United States. As in the original version, players have to establish a running economy in a fictitious world based around the fifth century B.C.E. The building of a good road layout is essential to the gameplay. The transport system has to be optimized in order to guarantee the most efficient transportation of goods along their production chains. The soldiers who are basically the end product of this economy, are mostly controlled in an indirect way, similar to the flow of economic goods. The main gameplay enhancement over the classic game is much easier upgrading of soldiers in their barracks.

Three of the original types of population (Romans, Nubians and Japanese) are included in the single player campaign, with 10 missions as well as numerous additional maps. There is a map editor and the game can also import maps from the original game. Multi-player mode with a matchmaking Internet lobby is available.

A Vikings add-on is available for the German, Czech, Polish and Russian versions of the game.

In 2007 Ubisoft released a Nintendo DS title, The Settlers, which in Europe uses the same cover artwork. Early press materials suggested that the title would be a direct port of the DOS original but instead the game is a rebuild of the game mechanics from The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici that received poor reviews. The game was released in the US as a GameStop exclusive and is particularly difficult to find.