YOU COULD BEST DESCRIBE THIS GAME AS A MIX OF AGE OF EMPIRES 3 AND A CITY BUILDING GAME, YOU GET ALL THE FUN OF ESTABLISHING A RENAISSANCE TOWN, CITY BUILDING, SETTING UP TRADING ROUTES, RESOURCE PRODUCTION AND ON TOP OF IT YOU HAVE TO PROTECT YOUR SETTLEMENT FORM RIVALS AND CORSAIRS SO , THE GAME DOES GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO FLEX YOUR MILITARY MUSCLE AND YOU EVEN GET TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR SHIPS AND BUILDINGS WITH SPECIAL ITEMS, JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT ITS NOT A PURE MILITARY FOCUSED RTS, YOU HAVE A MILITARY TO PROTECT YOUR RESOURCES NOT RESOURCES TO FUEL YOUR MILITARY. SO A LOT OF PLUSES ON ECONOMICAL AND CITY BUILDING ASPECTS , A VERY BEAUTIFUL GAME (THAT WILL TEST YOUR SYSTEM)AND A FUN MILITARY SIDE THAT SOME WILL CALL WEAK BUT I WOULD CALL COMPLEMENTARY TO THE WHOLE GAME. FINALLY FOR A HISTORY LOVER AS MYSELF I FIND THE GAME'S GENERIC HISTORY FEEL AS ITS ONLY BLEMISH, YOU CANT CHOOSE A SPECIFIC COUNTRY, YOU DON'T FIGHT OTHER COUNTRIES , BUT THIS IS LONG RUNNING IN THE ANNO SERIES, AND IT DOESN'T HURT THE GAME'S PLAYABILITY AT ALL.

a really interesting game where for once the graphics are amazing, if you like trading games, city building then this is the game for you

At first glance Anno 1404 is little different from it's predecessor, beyond a graphics update. Under the hood however there are some nice changes in store for fans of the series.
Gameplay follows the same style as previous games. You have an island to settle and grow, and as it grows the populace will demand more and more goods to stay happy. You can either grow these goods yourself, requiring colonising more islands and eventually the mysterious lands of the orient, or trade them with other players or neutral ports.
And here is where the changes kick in. You can no longer simply colonise the orient and begin gathering resources to ship to your main settlement; the arabic buildings you need to grow for example silk requires you to make friends with the Sultan and begin settling Bedoiuns on the land, which adds an extra level of diplomacy and colony building to the game (some demands are the same, others not).
There's a host of additional neutral settlements to find and exploit, from monasteries or trading outposts who'll sell you rare goods to mercenaries and assassins who will sell you troops. The pirate faction is overhauled slightly, although they still become either a nuisance to wipe out or a tool to wield against your rivals. There are also a number of upgrades you can buy which can be added to your settlements and ships for some minor bonuses.
Perhaps the greatest addition is a two tier achievements system. While playing completing quests and achieving certain benchmarks generate honour points, which can be invested in three technology trees (essentially the neutral factions - Empire, Sultanate and Corsairs) which improve the neutral factions and thereby the assistance you can call on. You can for example unlock more and higher tier goods for sale, or have the Imperial navy expanded should you find yourself relying on the Empire for military aid.
There is also a persistent system of gems, which can be used to unlock new avatars, coats of arms and titles for your profile.
The sandbox play as always is present and as customisable as ever, and there's an interesting and branching campaign to enjoy too. The graphics look gorgeous as ever, with a special postcard mode to let you really drink in your settlement.
The core game remains the same however. For those new to the series this won't be a problem, you have an excellent strategy game reminiscent of The Settlers. If you're a fan of the Anno series then you will enjoy this, however the relatively little new content does mean this is effectively "more of the same".

Anno series didnt change much from the anno 1601 in core gameplay and context. A kind of caesar meets simcity, played in a colonization setting. Visuals, graphics came a long way, along with the developing processing power of computers and graphics cards, and that is good. However, compared to that, game is still same in core, despite a lot more could be done with the increasing possibilities of both computers, and the resources developer company now does have. They could incorporate actual colonization era political and social dynamics, mechanics, systems to give an immersion, maybe similar to Patrician I game, without making them hard. (there werent too complicated dynamics in that level anyway). Currently the game has developed a lot, has great visuals, great music, yet it still stays as a glorified miniature towns game, despite having the possibility of being something far more bigger than that. For those who havent played anno series, or for those who are not tired of repeating the same gameplay over and over (especially if that gameplay lacks atmospheric immersion for the time period), this is a good game. For others, unfortunately not.

Definitely a must-buy from any strategy/simulation and history-related games fans. I have been a loyal Paradox fan throughout the years and this is the only game that can compete with Paradox's offerings.

First, the graphics, if you do own a powerful computer (as of 2009), will blow your mind. The German developers did a good job in recreating the isles world balancing out a cartoonish yet realistic look. The postcard mode (F1) will be most useful to players that love taking pictures of their work.

Managing the intricate and complex economical system is rewarded with a nifty city-building interface. Customization and specialization of your different colonies will reward any gamers with a sense of accomplishment. The game even lets you embellish your cities with various (but costly) props like trees, wells and statues.

Don't be surprised if you are sucked in the Anno 1404 universe and waste several productive hours playing it. The game will, from time to time, tell you that you might want to stop playing and pay attention to your physical needs.

The only areas that would need improvement are the diplomatic and war aspects of the game. Waging war against an AI with an endless supply of resources is quite tiresome and at times, downright not entertaining. I would advise players to avoid wars and simply pay of your AI rivals if it keeps you from being dragged into a costly and distracting conflict.

The game is available from the get-go in English, French, German and Spanish if I'm not mistaking. I do advise everyone to play the demo and see for yourself.

Better than Anno 1701 in every way :)
Thats it! However there is NO multiplayer, at all. There is just a website to upload and share your screenshots and savegames to (why anyone would want to do that).

Also, when playing continous games (the free or "skirmish" mode), you can only choose up to 3 computer opponents, even on Large or Huge maps.
This however isnt as bad or boring as it sounds due to the fact that each computer player is much improved, and they expand very rapidly.

In my first game playing on a Large map with 3 easy opponents, two of them had colonized the orient before i even thought about doing that lol.
Also there are tons of neutral, stuff, in the world. There are small outposts on certain islands that you can either destroy, or trade with to gain different resources or advantages.

Such as trading with a mountain village on an island in order to gain access to their silk or whatever.
Also the pirates are long gone, but replaced by Corsairs. Basically orient pirates. When you first encounter them they sometimes actually ask you for a set ammount of gold to sign a cease fire treaty with you.
Much easier than in the previous games to get on good terms with them, at least it seems that way as i never tried it or spent my gold that way yet :)

Overall a superb game, as expected. The few opponents on the maps may put off some, but after all this is a game best enjoyed by building up YOUR empire, dont let the lack of MP bother you, this is a game well worth its price.

'Anno 1404' is a great blend between construction, trade and diplomacy. As I'm new to this 'Anno' series of games, I would say that it is a cross between the base building aspect of 'Age of Empires 2' and the trading aspect of 'The Guild 2'. 'Anno 1404' also includes a lot of sailing, as is included in the expantions of both of those other games I mentioned. In my opinion, this series introduces a new, exiting blend.

Some key elements are more realistic than what have been seen in the simplest strategy games. That makes it harder to master the game, even though it is easy to get into. 'Anno 1404' requires more thoughtfulness and planning than many other games, and that makes it more fun to play and more addictive! Ye be warned! :-)

The obvious purpose for the player's actions, is to ever expand his influence. At the same time, however, everything the player does, affects other things for better or for worse. As soon as the player starts building a base, he also starts fighting a constant battle against bankruptcy. He's just got to stay in financial balance. That's the key element of survival and progress in this game, and it's not so easy to master without steadfast plan and purpose.

In his search for resources and riches in the new colonies, the player often stumble upon other players. Thus new question pop up: Will the player make use of his eloquence and diplomatic skills to develop flourishing friendships with new players, or will he choose isolation, bitter rivalry and maybe open war? Maybe he will ally one and fight another?

Even in the most peaceful times, unexpected events tend to occur at the least convenient monments. Let me give you a rather embarresing example of that: A fire suddenly brakes out in the wealthiest part of town, which also happens to be the remotest... Then, take into concideration that the player really didn't want to pay for that fire station ten minutes ago. So now, our hero has some urgent choices to make. (And this is the really neat thing, you can solve the problem in many different ways!) So, will he spend all of his last resources to build a fire station in order to put that fire out for good? Or maybe he will trade his way out of the situation? Or maybe he will simply pretend he didn't see it in the first place, hoping that the villagers will manage on their own? Different choices inevitably lead to different results and different consequenses. This makes the whole gaming experience more realistic.

The least good thing about 'Anno 1404', may be the military elements. They exist, but they are few and not very exciting: There are some towers, there are some war ships and thera are some green health bars. Unfortunately, that's not enough. The sea battles remind me of the pirates' plunderings in 'The Guild 2: Pirates of the European Seas': A lot of predictable math and little chance is to be found. This makes me say that 'Anno 1404' is not a typically