Settlers II

The Settlers II (Die Siedler II), released by Blue Byte in 1996, is the game that brought the German studio's gentle, hypnotic brand of strategy to a wide audience. It is a build-up strategy game centred on economy and logistics: you settle a plot of land and construct an intricate chain of production, where woodcutters feed sawmills, farms feed mills and bakeries, and mines and smelters supply the tools and weapons your society needs to expand.

Its signature charm lies in watching tiny settlers trundle goods along a network of roads and flag-posts you lay out, the whole colony humming along like a living clockwork. Military conquest exists — you push your borders outward by building guard towers and eventually raising soldiers — but the real pleasure is in perfecting the supply web and watching a wilderness bloom into a busy civilization. Warmly presented and endlessly watchable, Settlers II was a huge success and remains many players' favourite in the series. Its unhurried, systems-driven design has aged gracefully, and it was popular enough to earn a faithful modern remake decades later.