From there the series jumped around history using 100 years intervals, tackling ever more complex historical eras, allowing the developers to add more mechanics to the game and to change the art style and even managed to make a move to the handheld space.

+ Great gameplay; + Solid graphics; + Different factions

- Pacing issues; - Somewhat tired formula

The Anno series has become a self-propelled juggernaut in the strategy world, with very few critics and fans having bad words to say about it. From the early "Anno 1602" to this new, contemporary offering we have seen the series grow in content, innovation and reputation.

Visuals; Sounds; Gameplay

Combat; Campaign

Anno creator Related Designs scared the bejesus out of their fan base when they announced that their next Anno game would be set in the future rather than the past. As it turned out, we had nothing to worry about; whether historic or futuristic, the Anno formula can be applied to pretty much any age...

Buying a slice of island is better than eating a slice of pizza

It's not cheap

Superb: A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage to what is a supreme title.

With Anno 2070, a well-regarded series of strategic city builders goes rushing headlong into the future. No longer do you produce spices and dates, or ivory and jade. Such notions seem almost quaint in Anno 2070, where fancy health drinks and microchips are in high demand, and submarines scan for...

Involving mix of city building; resource management; and mission completion; Metagame adds persistence in clever ways; Great visuals and soundtrack give the game a cool sci-fi style; Pollution control and underwater islands invigorate the formula

Online copy protection makes for occasional technical trouble; Some interface quirks and other foibles can lead to confusion for beginners

The world has seen the last of the polar ice caps, global warming has raised the sea-level by a few meters and the world map looks completely different. Huge corporations have taken over the world and everything has been reduced to a race for making the biggest buck.

Anno 2070 takes Ubisoft's franchise to the future. We check out if the time skip makes for a richer experience in our PC review.

Anno 2070 is a polished management sim with some innovative ideas, but it doesn't push them far enough.

The campaign, which has no time limits and almost no fail states, is just a primer.

Games Xtreme takes a look at Anno 2070 in our first review of 2012.