A bit clunky and on the easy side, but this is a quality RTS from a by-gone era. Recommended
The Settlers II is not a bad game. Hell, I've spent *many* a night playing the original DOS version and now on Windows via this DOSbox release. But it's deeply flawed in the sense that you have at times very little control over what goes on. You have some tools at your disposal to order which goods take priority over others, but they're ineffective and will just frustrate you. Control over the military is also thin, and overall the page is just so, so slow. On the Roman campaign, at around level IV, you reach a stalemate because all coal has been mined, there's no more stone to power your catapults, and the enemy isn't moving either because they're out of stone to rebuild the guardhouses your catapults just destroyed. Also, your catapults take over 5 hits to destroy a guardhouse, but the enemy destroys yours with one hit. Once this happens, you're a couple of hours in and you feel totally frustrated. I really WANT to love this game - the concept is good, and the pixel art is charming, but I've never figured out how to not make it a slog.
My favorite, after the original. The port is rough (make sure you use OpenGL graphic modes for best stability) but oh so good. A must buy if you like the original.
Awesome graphics, good story, nice difficulty, and good UI for a gamepad. Can't wait for DLC! Don't be too put off by the horizontal axis restriction, it works pretty well and keeps it simple - because that's what this game is: a simple, linear and fun game. Lots of meat in side quests, but you're pretty much never lost. A bug or too with warp pairing, but other than that: solid gold!
