Bought this game from another site and have been playing it almost non-stop. It gets progressively more difficult but even if you can't get "expert" on all levels you continue to play to the end. The only frustration is that although you know you need to build certain things you often have to wait for the main character to tell you so and that can slow you down. Overall though a good addition to the genre.

This game actually surprised me because I don't usually like these types of games. The storyline was good, music is good, instructions easy to follow along and pick up. Youre given tasks to complete, many from the natives. In exchange for your help they either give you things you need or show you where to find items that can help you. There is a lot of speaking interaction between you and the natives of the land. You restore houses, boatyards, watchtowers, etc and also build new buildings and gardens for food. Unlike most building games money isnt used to make buildings here. Each building requires a certain amount of food, wood, (& sometimes silver but mostly food & wood) to erect. In chapter 1 your shown a barrel one time, youre told to smash it because it might contain something good. Never again are you instructed to do that but the barrels occasionally show up...smash them...they usually contain food or gold. Also clay jars show up in chapter 2, you'll want to smash those as well. Sometimes you'll see planks of wood stacked randomly... search the forests and shores and if you see the stacks click them to have one of your workers pick it up. This is especially helpful if youre running low on resources. The game never instructs you to pick them up I just realized that I could by trying it out. For food, besides the gardens you build you can also pick berries from the trees once they turn ripe. That helps a lot because each garden only harvests 5 pieces of food & sometimes you'll need 15 or 35 to build something. Also, unlike most games if you need more men you pay for another worker, not in this game. Here, if you need more men you just build another house for the workers or upgrade the command station, which is cool. I'm pleasantly surprised by this game because this isnt the type of game I usually buy or play, but I'll be purchasing this one.

This game is a mix of resource gathering, free-style building, exploration and quests. Graphics are lovely and gameplay is smooth. The resource element is handled automatically by the workers, which is a great touch. No more clicking on goods, although, should you need extra resources, the well-known berry bush is there and other goods can be found lying around. Don Diego does all the adventuring. He goes on quests to help the natives and searches for treasure and secrets. He does a bit of hand holding - do this, do that, but he's not too intrusive. Sometimes I am grateful for his advice, because while I am busy exploring and leaving no bush uncut in my search for treasure, he will remind me of important things, like running out of workers! There are 4 modes. I am currently in relaxed mode which is completely untimed. Eventually I'll replay in the other modes. The only downside I can see is that you cannot save during a level. You must complete the level you are playing to save, otherwise progress will be lost and you will need to restart the level. All in all, this is an involved, addictive game.

This game is just what I was lacking. Waiting for the the next Roads of Rome to come out and this game filled my void. So much fun and so much to do. I am an adventure HOG fan but I like to break it up with strategy games. This one is fantastic

Very interesting Game play with lots of things to do, reminds me of "Roads of Rome." All cute characters, including the horrible Cavemen! Lovely music which is easy to listen to. The No Timer Option was great! The only negatives for me were that the buildings could have been a little smaller in my opinion, as they are out of proportion to the characters, and many times there is no room to build what you need. Cavemen popping up every so often is annoying and it would have been good if there was someway to plug their holes. The Game said "It's a good thing the Indians don't value Gold ..." I thought that was ironic because if they didn't value Gold then why were they collecting it in their clay Jugs? Anyway, all in all, a really great game which I will be playing again and again. Worth every cent! Looking forward to Book 2 already!

Not so patiently awaiting the second and third book! This game, for me, was very fun...and very very addictive! Beware..hours can silently pass while playing!

So I will start out saying this is my favourite genre, but...this game takes it beyond the usual same-o same-o. It is a builder but it is also a Roads of Rome. You have to think one step ahead, ie: what am I going to need?, then plan accordingly. There are a few "Yicks" in the game that I don't like. Having to wait for the voice over to tell me I need to do something.."really? Like I hadn't already worked that one out Sherlock!" But it isn't enough of an annoyance to take away from the game. I wish you could destroy buildings after they were no longer of use, but that's just another aspect of the game. If you put a building some place, make sure it is in the right place, because it IS there to stay. I am one of those painful people who HAS TO GET GOLD on every level.....this one started out " Ha! Piece of cake" which quickly dissolved into..."Sweet mercy, how the heck am I supposed to do that?" I LOVE it! I haven't felt challenged like this in ages. Can't wait for the next chapter. it will probably take me that long just to get gold on half of the levels. LOL! Happy gaming all

This is exactly the type of game that keeps me coming back to Big Fish every day for new releases. A mix between Virtual Villagers and My Kingdom for the Princess, this game keeps you on your toes working hard, with the excitement of discovering new lands, clearing the fog and collecting resources. I knew I was going to buy this the minute I started playing it. A must-buy!

This one reminds me of the Westward series. Having to have enough workers and soldiers etc. to keep everything going like westward as well as tasks to keep you on the path. I liked the hints, but I haven't gotten far enough to really get into each building. I am a huge Time Management fan from the "Dash" type games to the "new" gathering/building ones. A definite buy for me.

This is one of my favorites. You play as an explorer going through new lands trying to find lost members of an expedition. Along the way you progress your own wealth and experience as you help the native people and vice versa. It's like three games in one. It has the intention of a "pathway" game like "My Kingdom for the Princess", but the path is not a literal path that you have to follow. It has the adventure style of a game like "Aveyond", but with a more linear storyline. It also has the gameplay of something like "Timebuilder", where it is up to you to design the placement and order of build/update of buildings to strategically progress through the levels. The music is beautiful, the setting is beautiful, and the time limits are actually realistic. Even if you don't make the faster goal time, you can still go on to the next level and continue the story. There are also secrets in the game that you don't have to find to progress/win, but they act as extra incentive for your hero while you try to attain the main goals. The nice thing is, you're told how many secrets there are per level, so even though you're sometimes looking for needles in a haystack, you know when you've found all of the needles. Best of all, even though it's challenging, it doesn't have the urgency of a typical timed game. You're able to reassess your plan during game play without getting stressed about it. This is the closest that I've ever come to saying that this is a MUST BUY, but I always think that you should play the demo to see if it's right for you. I just can't imagine not enjoying this game.