https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/655811550249107456/retrocgads-usa-1994
Merchant Prince is a strategy game that was released for DOS based PCs in 1994. It is set in Venice during the Renaissance. Merchant Prince is a 4X strategy game, a term coined when Master of Orion was released in 1993. The ‘4X’ refers to the four primary actions of eXploring, eXpanding, eXploiting and eXterminating. Of course, many modern games referred to by that nomenclature have expanded to include other complex actions.
In Merchant Prince, you compete with three other families to be the most successful family in Venice. These families can be computer controlled or they can be other players. You can hold various political offices and there is much political intrigue. You can even become Pope. Besides managing your political career, you send trade or military out into the rest of the world to explore. You may control Venice’s armed forces or mercenary forces depending on your situation. Exploration can result in discovering valuable relics. Trade is also an important aspect of the game with the player directing ships and caravans. The end goal of the game is to be the first to acquire a million florins.
Merchant Prince can be compared to other similar games of the time like Civilization. Compared to Civilization, Merchant Prince is a bit simpler but it arguably does a better job creating a true sense of exploration. In any case, if you like strategy games of this type, then this is one you will definitely want to try. Just keep in mind that it emphasizes trade and politics over conquest so if you are looking for more of a wargame then you will want to look elsewhere.
Merchant Prince was followed up in 1995 with Machiavelli the Prince (also DOS based) and Merchant Prince II in 2001 for Windows. If you like the first game then you will probably like these as well. However, they don’t add much to the original and both are more remakes than sequels. If you are going to pick just one, stick with the original. Unfortunately, they have not been re-released as far as I know so if you don’t have a DOS PC around, you’ll have to make do with an emulator.
