complex interrelations between the various buildings, he was critical of the lack of an in-depth tutorial, the necessity to return to the main menu so as to load a new game, and overly simplistic combat. He also cited numerous bugs with the copy-protection system. He concluded: "There is something compelling about Settlers III. Many times I played longer than intended, wanting to tweak just one more thing. But in the end, the feeling of playing a loser remains". Next Generation rated the game two stars out of five: "It's mildly entertaining to construct buildings, gather resources, and trade goods, but in the end, The Settlers III is a disappointment, lacking the creativity needed to compete in today's overcrowded RTS market". Sales and awards The Settlers III was a commercial success. It was the number one selling game in Germany in November 1998, and remained the number two game throughout December and January. It ultimately became the German market's third-best-selling game of 1998, behind Tomb Raider III and Anno 1602. By January 1999, global sales had surpassed 500,000 units. That February, it was awarded the "Platinum Award" by the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland e.V. (VUD); an award given to titles costing DM55 or more, which sell over 200,000 units nationally within the first twelve months of their release. By April 1999, worldwide sales had surpassed 600,000 units, of which nearly 400,000 were sold in the German market. Blue Byte's Thomas Hertzler commented on the game's success: "I was sure The Settlers III had the potential to be a successful title. But the fact that the demand was so great completely surprised me". The game proved so popular that PC Fun, a German video game retailer, reported occasionally having more customers than game units. When the Gold Edition was released in June 2000, the original game had sold over 700,000 units worldwide. In November 1999, the game received Silver in "Der Pädi" (Pädagogischer Interaktiv-Preis) at the 1999 Munich Bücherschau. In October 2000, it was awarded the "Giga-Maus" by Eltern magazine at the Frankfurt Book Fair. An award given to computer games, board games, interactive online features and educational programs suitable for children, The Settlers III received first place in the "PC Games for Young People Aged 13 and Over". Expansions Mission CD The game's first expansion was The Settlers III Mission CD, released in April 1999, and featuring three new eight-mission single-player