Initially operating independently of one another, but ultimately joining forces, the Romans, Nubians, Chinese and Vikings set out to learn why the portal was destroyed and defeat The Wolf.

Although featuring updated 3D graphics and sound effects, and a new storyline, the gameplay and game mechanics remain relatively unchanged from the original Settlers II.

The Settlers II (10th Anniversary) is a city-building game, with real-time strategy elements,[4][5] controlled via a point and click interface.

[15] Whether playing in single-player or multiplayer mode, each game begins the same way; the player has one building, a warehouse/headquarters, in which are a set amount of raw materials and tools.

[16][17] The basic gameplay revolves around serfs (the titular "settlers") who transport materials, tools and produce, and who populate and perform the requisite task of each building.

For example, the player can control the distribution of goods by selecting how much of a given resource is transported to a given building, under six separate headings; food, grain, iron, coal, planks and water.

For example, if the player has built a bakery, and the building is still empty despite idle settlers in the headquarters, a rolling pin must be manufactured in the toolsmith.

[22] The game also uses a notification system that alerts the player if a building cannot be occupied either due to a lack of the right tool or the absence of available settlers.

Catapults are immobile, and fire stones at enemy buildings within their range, with each successful hit killing one occupying soldier.

[18] Following a series of unexplainable disasters in Rome (the female population disappearing overnight, disease spreading through the livestock, a drought, a plague of locusts, the eruption of a nearby volcano), the Roman people seek the advice of a travelling seer, who tells them he sees a future of prosperity and harmony, but not before they undertake a long and arduous journey.

Electing Eirigg as their leader, they head towards a nearby village where they see some of the people with whom they had been feasting, a group who they thought were Chinese diplomats were actually pirates.

Passing through a Nubian village, they learn the portal ceased functioning a few days prior, and as a result, they decide to explore the region.

Meanwhile, in Nubia, upon the destruction of the portal, pirates with sails bearing the sign of the wolf advance into the region ruled over by Kvame.

Kvame subsequently discovers The Wolf is using portal stones to transport the men of conquered peoples vast distances, and forcing them to fight for him.

Pushing them back, Eirigg learns The Wolf has already begun the assault on the Empire's capital, and sets sail to help defend it.

The Senate devise a plan to gain possession of the portal stones and use them to rule the world, and to this end, they send a force under the command of Caius Publius to aid the Chinese.

At the same time, in an isolated region of the Empire, The Wolf orders his Nubian allies to occupy an island fortress, planning to use it for his global campaign.

[36] The Vikings, Nubians, Romans, and loyalist Chinese arrive at the capital at roughly the same time, and although the city has already fallen to The Wolf, the Emperor has escaped and is hiding in a small village.

[40] The only significant changes the designers made were giving the different races aesthetically differentiated buildings (in the original, the only difference between races was the design of soldiers), although, as in the original, all three races play identically; redesigning the HUD to take advantage of larger monitors with higher resolutions than were available in 1996; adding an online multiplayer mode; when the player demolishes a building, they now get back half the construction costs; rebuilding and expanding the notification system, plus giving players more control over which notifications they receive; and adding a day/night cycle.

He specifically referred to the reimplementation of the road network, which was dropped from The Settlers III and all subsequent games in the series, and the importance of transport hubs.

[42] Originally, the combat system was taken 1:1 from the original, but after producing a beta version of the game, the designers decided to add a building upgrade system, whereby players can upgrade their military installations without having to demolish and then rebuild them, and an evacuation button, whereby players can order garrisoned soldiers to evacuate any given military complex and redeploy them to any other.

[6] Gameswelt's André Linken also scored it 82%, citing "lack of variety" as the biggest problem, particularly in relation to mission objectives.

However, he praised the graphics, sound effects, and multiplayer mode, calling it "a terrific remake, [which] has lost none of the original's playfulness or gentleness".

Calling it a "lovingly crafted remake", he was impressed with the graphics, sound effects, and music, writing as "Blue Byte should be commended for faithfully recreating the solid gameplay of its beloved original and adding 21st-century bells and whistles".

On the other hand, he felt it should have been a budget title, concluding, "For all its undeniable charm and nostalgic worth, The Settlers II is never really more than a retro retread that will probably only appeal to those who remember the original fondly".

He also opined that the game should not have been a full price-release, writing, "the innovations on the original from 1996 are more of a cosmetic nature and do not add any additional facets to the gameplay".

[50] The German-language expansion, Die Siedler II: Die nächste Generation - Wikinger, was released in March 2007, featuring twelve new single-player missions, new maps for both single-player and multiplayer modes, a random map generator, numerous improvements and optimisations to the online multiplayer lobby, a newly designed quest system with more diverse mission objectives and optional sidequests, a more detailed notification system and mini-map, and minor gameplay tweaks.

Developed primarily by Funatics Studio,[53][54] a company founded by ex-Blue Byte personnel, Aufbruch der Kulturen features eleven missions in which the player controls Egyptians, Bavarians and Scots.

Meanwhile, the angels Kostas and Theofanos have been observing mankind, and they report to Olympus that if everybody behaved peacefully and respectfully, things would be extremely boring.

Much to the displeasure of the goddess Sachmet, who is pursuing her own agenda, Olympus agrees, assigning tasks to the various nations so they can prove themselves redeemable.