Merchant Prince II (PC CD)

The basic idea is that you control one of the great trading families of Venice. You use your ships and caravans to trade goods across the known world, set up trade routes and then use the cash generated to buy political influence inside the Venetian state and the Church. Bribe a large number of senators, and you too can become doge. Buy off a big bunch of cardinals and the papacy is yours for the taking. Cardinals at least make you some money by selling indulgences to their flocks. Politicians only have their hands out for bribes. There's a limited military sub-system in there, but it's nothing to write home about.

I'd like to be able to say that this is a great game (the subject matter has potential, after all) but unfortunately, I can't. It still feels like the kind of thing that we used to see when a 286 was the height of PC power.

The graphics have what can only be described as a bit of a retro feel to them as well. In fact, that's the best way of regarding this title. It's a little slice of "retro heaven" at modern prices. If you enjoyed the old game and can't get it to run on a modern machine, then this is a product for you. Otherwise, I'd recommend looking elsewhere for a state-of-the-art strategy and trading gaming experience.