Developed by Blue Byte and published by Ubi Soft, the Windows version was released in Germany in February 2001, in the United Kingdom in March, and in North America in August.

Unable to bear touching foliage, Morbus leads the mysterious Dark Tribe as he sets about attempting to erase all natural greenery from the planet's surface.

The Trojans and the Elixir of Power takes place many centuries later, when the war against the Dark Tribe has faded from memory, and the three victorious civilisations have returned to fighting with one another.

However, when Morbus once more proves a threat, attempting to permanently cure his allergy to greenery by creating a powerful elixir, it falls to the Trojans to unite the others and stand against him and the Dark Tribe.

Acting on feedback from fans who had felt Settlers III was too focused on combat, the designers aimed for a return to the core supply and demand-based gameplay of the first two titles in the series.

For example, for the first time in the series, the offensive strength of the player's military is tied to the economic value of their settlement; the player has access to each rank of soldier from the beginning of each mission, with the ability to select the rank of every soldier prior to recruitment; the game's single-player campaign focuses on a race that cannot be defeated solely by military means; and specialty units and squad leaders have been added to enhance the tactical aspects of combat, with warships also made available, allowing for combat at sea.

Although the graphics and animations were generally praised, the AI, mission variety, and limited combat strategy were criticised, with reviews comparing the game unfavourably to titles such as Age of Empires II and Zeus: Master of Olympus.

The handheld version received more positive reviews and was lauded for replicating the original game on a portable device, and for successfully adapting the controls to a touchscreen.

The general gameplay and game mechanics are very similar to The Settlers III,[10][11][12][13] and the primary goal on most maps is to build a settlement with a functioning economy, producing sufficient military and/or specialist units so as to conquer rival territories.

[23] Whether playing single-player or multiplayer mode, each game begins the same way; the player has a small settlement, a set amount of raw materials and tools, and a predetermined number of settlers.

[24][25] 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.

When playing a multiplayer game, the player also has access to a fifth specialist unit; the Saboteur, who can attack and destroy all enemy buildings, not just military installations.

The recultivation of the barren lands is an important component in the strategy against the dark menace and emphasizes our efforts to reposition the settling aspect of the game in the foreground.

[61] In the GamesZone interview, Brändle also addressed the issue of the similarity in graphics between the new game and Settlers III: "We have deliberately programmed an engine that is very much like the previous one.

[63][64] However, the beta was postponed in early August, due to "technical issues related to the lobby software causing disruption to Battle Isle: The Andosia War".

[72] On February 6, Ubi Soft acquired Blue Byte, revealing their plans to publish the game internationally, with president and CEO, Yves Guillemot, stating: I am particularly happy with this acquisition.

[79] On March 19, Ubi Soft announced the game would be released throughout Europe at the end of the month, explaining "the reasons behind the unfortunate delay of the product were essentially quality assurance issues".

[1] In November 2009, working in conjunction with Blue Byte, under license from Ubisoft, Gameloft ported the game to iOS, released under the title The Settlers.

Although he praised the graphics, the tutorials, and the variety of mission objectives, he was critical of the bugs, writing, "in typical Blue Byte fashion, the game has appeared in time for the first patch".

Although he praised the economic system on which the game is built, he criticised the lack of variety within it, writing, "you're forced to create the entire supporting infrastructure for your settlement the same way every time."

His biggest criticism concerned the lack of differentiation from Settlers III, writing that "aside from some improved graphics and small additions, it's hard to tell this is really a new game".

He did, however, praise Free Settle and multiplayer modes, concluding that "Settlers: Fourth Edition has charming moments, but has been long surpassed by games with better character and superior combat".

[13] GameSpot's Ron Dulin scored it 6.4 out of 10, finding similar problems to Adams and Dy, and comparing it unfavourably to Impressions Games' City Building series.

He also criticised the mission variety and the lack of combat strategy, writing, "it's never more complex than moving all of your units slowly through enemy territory, hoping you'll have some left after your opponent doesn't".

Although he praised the graphics and called the game a "pleasant enough experience", he noted it offered no major differences from previous Settlers titles, and would interest only the existing fanbase, who, he opined, may be getting bored of the same formula.

[79] AppSpy's Andrew Nesvadba scored the iOS version 5 out of 5, praising the graphics and touchscreen controls: "The Settlers is everything great about strategy games.

[80] TouchArcade also scored it 4 out of 5, criticising the lack of free play, but praising the graphics and sound effects, and calling the game "a solid experience".

[85] Pocket Gamer's Wayne Turton scored the bada version of The Settlers HD 3.5 out of 5, giving it a "Bronze Award" and praising the tutorials, controls, and graphics.

In contrast, he was critical of the absence of non-campaign missions and multiplayer mode, and of the combat system, writing victory "usually comes down to which side can field the most units".

[18] Blue Byte released a second expansion, The Settlers IV: The Trojans and the Elixir of Power, in December,[103] featuring thirteen new maps for single-player mode, thirteen new maps for multiplayer mode, three new four-mission single-player campaigns for each of the original three races, four Settlement missions, and a new twelve-mission campaign, in which the player controls a new race, the Trojans.