I recently bought anno 1404 AKA Dawn of Discovery

the game is pretty cool in the sense that you can't completely control the characters on the screen, you have to try and build certain structures to help the villagers, and if certain needs are taken care of then your area will gain a "rank" such as village.

I only just started playing so the amazing graphics and campaign may not hold me as long as I may find, but you are constantly expanding your empire as you need to get materials which aren't present on the starting island (mostly spices etc.) so you quickly find yourself creating trade routes to keep the villagers happy with more resources.

For myself it's fun because I enjoy the concept of creating a civilization from scratch and then slowly expanding it to a grand empire for yourself, remembering when it started witha few houses to several islands filled with buildings and working structures.

I encourage poeple to at least give it a try, because I thought I would enjoy it only for a while but the game keeps you entertained as you struggle to keep your resources at a good amount and to keep your villagers happy.