Settlers Online
For: Windows PC
From: Ubisoft
Four stars (out of five)
This is in no small part due to the fact that the masses have discovered what the enlightened few of us already knew: that fancy looks and flashy effects don't make a game good - it's what's underneath that counts, the playability, the way some games make you come back again and again.
Back in the early 1990s Ubisoft produced such a game - The Settlers - one of the first world-building, god games.
And I'm incredibly pleased to say that it's returned.
Not a high-definition revamp for the next generation consoles, but a faithful reproduction of the original which has been tweaked so it works online on your web browser.
It's actually been around for a while now, but I've only just discovered it, ironically, thanks to a link from the Assassins Creed 4 Xbox One app.
For the uninitiated, a brief introduction: In The Settlers Online you start with a small house on a mostly undiscovered, uninhabited island.
Through a series of quests, which initially form an excellent tutorial, you slowly turn your little plot of land into a village, and then a town, and then onwards and upwards.
The more you build, the more settlers will come.
There was an important word in the last paragraph: slowly.
This is not a fast-paced action game by any stretch of the imagination.
There are battles, but you are merely a spectator.
If you are after running around with your hair on fire, blasting zombies, then you'll have to get your jollys somewhere else.
The Settlers online is a far more sedate, peaceful offering.
Construction of later buildings and completion of quests can take hours, days even, and, as in most games of this genre, there's quite a bit of waiting around and admin to be done.
But just because the pace is slower doesn't mean it's not an incredibly addictive game.
It actually makes a very pleasant change from more modern gaming, where a lot of emphasis is put on speed and action.
And because it's online, don't think it'll be a shabby affair.
The graphics, animation and presentation are all excellent.
If you've never played a strategy game like The Settlers or Sim City, I strongly suggest you give it a go.
It may well not be your cup of tea, but it might just open a whole new world of gaming to you.
Finally, one important point - this game is free to play, which, if I'm not very much mistaken, is a very good thing.
Go to www.settlersonline.com, make an account and join in the fun. You won't regret it.
