Settlers 7 is a simulation game that on it's simplest settings guides you through growing and conquering several settlements with a focus on strategy. I first played it at a friends house and went online to look for it, however Ubisoft provides a very uninformative website, so I could not locate the specifications for the game and when I called to ask about them, got told it would not work on my system because I lacked T&L supported graphics. I decided to risk it and low and behold it worked fine, so much for customer service!

The game itself is a bit confusing at first, as there is little explanation over what the options on the main menu do, and on first load up it asks you to choose a character and 'pathway' which I still am unsure how it affects gameplay. Once you get into it however, it is a fun, fast paced game with lots of challenge when competing against the computer to complete mission boards. I have spent many happy hours playing the one-player mode and it really drags you in.

There are still some issue with it though, it needs a permanent internet connection due to the DRM. I personally am not a fan of DRM that requires an internet connection, and if I hadn't played it before, I would not have purchased it. There is limited support from Ubisoft when you run out of validations and when I have dealt with them I have been treated quite poorly by customer services.

Overall a great game that will keep you occupied for hours.