The second game in the 'Anno' series on the list, and the first of the series in general. A real classic among me, a good friend and my mother. In the past, we used to play this game all the time in multiplayer. As such, this is without a doubt, my most played multiplayer game ever. In fact, my friend and me can still play this from time to time.
While the objective is more or less the same, being a much older game than 'Anno 1404' earlier in the list, gameplay is much simpler. In 'Anno 1602's' case though, simpler really is even better. The seamlessness and ease of managing resources and goods to build your city is unparalleled. In another area, combat, the simpler nature is a godsend compared to the more bloated mechanics of later games. Combat is secondary of course, and to be avoided if possible, because the objective is to just make a city as wealthy as possible and 'out-prosper' your rivals.
Interestingly enough, even though it's never mentioned in the game, the manual or the intro-cutscene, I'm pretty sure the game references the 'Golden Age' of my country judging by the architecture of the buildings, the nautical theme, the trading of spices and the exact year "1602" being an important one. Though it has no bearing whatsoever on the excellence of the game, for a Dutch person, that's a nice extra.
