The Settlers III () is a real-time strategy video game with city-building elements, developed and published by Blue Byte. Released for Microsoft Windows in November 1998, it is the third game in The Settlers series. In 1999, Blue Byte released two expansions, The Settlers III Mission CD and The Settlers III: Quest of the Amazons (), in April and October respectively, featuring new single-player campaign missions, new maps for both single-player and multiplayer modes, and a map editor. In June 2000, The Settlers III: Gold Edition was released, containing the original game and both expansions. In 2013, the Gold Edition was released on GOG.com, and in 2018, it was re-released as The Settlers III: History Edition. In the game's single-player campaign, the player controls one of three races (Romans, Egyptians or Asians) whose respective deities are compelled by the great god HE to each pick a champion from among their people, and have him lead a war against the other peoples, with the gods of the two losing races facing punishment. Quest of the Amazons tells a prequel story, chronicling how Helios's daughter, Q'nqüra, becomes HIS personal assistant, engineering events so that women become the secret rulers of the universe. The game was designed and co-programmed by Volker Wertich, creator of the original Settlers game. Although the core supply and demand-based gameplay is broadly the same as in previous titles, many of the game mechanics have been altered; the player now has direct control over their army; roads are no longer necessary to connect buildings, headquarters no longer automatically generate settlers as required, and the different races now have different economic models, different magic spells, and several unique abilities and buildings. The game was also the first in the series to feature online multiplayer. The Settlers III received mixed reviews. Whilst the economic system and the interrelatedness of the various buildings, as well as the graphics and animations were generally praised, most critics felt it was too similar to previous Settlers titles. The game was a commercial success, selling over 200,000 units in Germany within the first twelve months of its release, and ultimately going on to sell over 700,000 units worldwide. Gameplay The Settlers III is a real-time strategy game with city-building elements, controlled via a point and click interface, in which the primary goal on most maps is to build a settlement with a functioning economy, producing sufficient