Settlers of Catan

1. Computer Versions

There are at lots of computer versions of Settlers of Catan floating around. Not all are complete or available. Here are the ones which seem the most available and/or playable. All of them are free and multiplayer except where noted.

Versions I tried:

Jens Willibald's Catan for PC (download, 804K)

DOS/Windows version, originally found at Kulkmann's G@meBox. The interface is clunky, but gameplay is lightning fast, and it has bots, so you can play solitaire. I've repackaged it, adding a bunch of scenarios, documentation, and tips. For details see readme.txt (included in the zip). Last updated 2005-07-15

AsoBrain - Xplorers (Java)

You have to register first, which does not require email. This has bots and supports two variants (Cities and Knights, Cheops), and lots of different maps. The graphics are clear and the interface is easy, but the sounds and popups get a little annoying. There is one annoying interface quirk: when you reach the victory point requirement, you need to remember to hit Claim Victory, or you won't actually win. Even with the annoyances, this is my favorite Settlers game.

Microsoft's Catan Online (download, $30)

This version is hosted by Yahoo and MSN. You get 60 free minutes, but after that you have to purchase. It has bots and a very clean interface. You can get rid of the sounds and speed up the interface, but the remaining animations and popup windows still slow the game down. As a solo game, it's sluggish, but still fun. When the 60 minutes ran out I was disappointed. There's also an offline version (for $30), but since the online version has bots, I don't see the point in buying the offline one.

JSettlers.com (Java)

You have to register first. Lots of sites seem to use the same Java version; you can tell by the "Applet soc.client.SOCPlayerClient started" message in your browser's status bar. A little slow to load the first time. The board is tiny, the graphics are crude, but at least the game has bots! I've seen a lot of people on the server playing solo.

Solito's Catan Server (Flash)

This doesn't have bots yet, but if you open 2 browser windows, you can test it by playing again yourself. It's attractive and easy to figure out; well executed - I'm very impressed!

S3D Connector (download)

You can play online or offline, and there are several rule and map options. I didn't see any bots yet, though, so there's no true solo play. Graphics are pretty good, but the interface needs a little streamlining.

NetSettlers (download)

This multiplayer Win32 game looks pretty good, but seems to have been abandoned in 2001. There's no single player or hotseat (yet), so it's hard to give it a decent test.

Not tried:

WannaGame

This site lets you play online with a choice of 2 different Catan versions: Xplorers (Java, discussed above) and Pioneers of Peru (download, illegal?). Not all the info is available in English, and I don't want to try illegal software, so you're on your own here!

Yahoo Groups - settlers-of-catan ($6)

Play by email, includes Knights and Cities. Requires one-time registration fee. I didn't try it yet. The message board hasn't seen any traffic since 2004, so it might not be actively supported anymore.

Pioneers (linux)

This was formerly called "Gnocatan", and is for Gnome. I couldn't find any recent downloads, and I'm reluctant to install the really old rpms that I found. Development seems to have ceased a couple years ago.

Ravensburger's Settlers of Catan CD - out of print?

Ravensburger created a CD version a few years ago. Unfortunately, their site (www.ravensburger.de) now features an unrelated game. Ravensburger Catan seems to have vanished. The reason I'm still mentioning it is that lots of people said it was really good.

Denda - Catan Deluxe Edition CD (20 Euros)

Computer versions of Catan, Seafarers, Starfarers, and the card game all on CD. There doesn't seem to be a semo, and the site is in Dutch, so I can't tell you much more about it.

2. Major Sites

Links last checked: 2008-05-23

Key:

• site: click on the name of the site to go to it
• date: date of most recent modification (sometimes a guess)
• pix: pictures of the game pieces or cover art
• news: latest Settlers releases and events
• rev: reviews of main game or official/unofficial variants
• rules: official Rules, FAQs, Clarifications, Errata
• sale: info on how to order the game
• strat: strategies for winning and having more fun with Settlers
• alt: suggested game play variants (changed rules, not just new maps)
• other: anything else of interest at the site (inlcuding software)

The scores (0-3) represent the quantity of information available at the site in the particular areas of interest. Also, I only consider information that physically resides at the specified site; links to other pages are not always reliable and are therefore disregarded.

Other Sites:

Frenchie's Catan CardGame Tools

focuses on card game