I never got around to playing Merchant Prince when it was released, and I wasn't alone. This game was created by Several Dudes Holistic Design and released by QQP back in the fall of 1993. It received pretty much universal praise by critics, but that didn't translate into high sales. (Somehow, I doubt the drab box art did much to improve matters.) I'll bet that most of the people who bought Merchant Prince are still playing it, but high replay value doesn't mean a tinker's damn in the pie chart of corporate profit and loss.
But, just as good but poorly rated TV shows can occasionally catch a break, Merchant Prince has returned from near death. MicroProse, with the blessing of Holistic Design Incorporated (What's wrong with calling your company Several Dudes? Not professional enough?), has slapped a new coat of paint on Merchant Prince and re-released it as Machiavelli the Prince. Normally, I would despise this sort of tactic--renaming an old game to turn new profits--but this time it's justified. MicroProse is being very honest about the game's origins, with the back of the box clearly stating that Machiavelli is "based on the multiple award-winning game Merchant Prince." As consumers, we are being given a second chance to get into a fantastic and addictive strategy game. My advice to you is to take that chance. If you like strategy games, you don't want to miss out on this one, whether it's called Merchant Prince, Machiavelli the Prince, or Slappy the Wonder Squirrel's Rockin' Adventure With the Black Plague.
People who already own Merchant Prince will doubtless want to know what is new and different in Machiavelli the Prince. To be honest, not a whole lot. By far the biggest change is that the graphics have been completely re-drawn. Merchant Prince's SVGA graphics were utilitarian but pretty dull. Machiavelli looks much better. I'm not saying it rivals Wing Commander III or the 18th hole at Pebble Beach in Links 386Pro, but for a map-based strategy game it does pretty good. The improved graphics also make cities you don't have access to much more obvious. The only other change that is particularly high profile is the addition of a warehouse in each city. This will allow you to buy goods at a low cost regardless of whether they are currently in demand. With this new option, you can simply store them in a warehouse and go on about the game until those goods become fashionable again.
If you've never played Merchant Prince, the rest of this text is for you. Machiavelli the Prince is a strategy game of trade, exploration, politics, lying, backstabbing, and other leisure activities involving the Catholic church circa 1300. Your goal is to become the wealthiest merchant in Venice by the game's end. You can set different lengths to the game, making Machiavelli a perfect game for strategists who wrap things up inside of an hour, as well as for those who like to take a day or two per game.
At the start of the game there is only one way to make money: trade. Trade is probably the largest part of Machiavelli, but not the only one by any means. To make money, you simply buy goods in one city and sell them for a higher price in another city. This is mostly done via ships between coastal cities, but you also have donkey and camel caravans to reach land-locked cities. At the start of the game, only the area immediately around Venice is known to you. The rest of the map is displayed in sepia tone, with speculative continents and oceans drawn in lightly. The apparent details of these unexplored map squares become less and less accurate as you get further from Venice. When Merchant Prince first appeared this method of uncovering the map was highly praised. It's ironic that a year and a half later the only other game to follow this lead is actually the same game with a new title.
After you explore the world a bit and get some profitable trade routes going, Machiavelli's other elements come into play. Now its time to play the dirty game of politics, and the equally dirty game of religion. Trade will always be vital, but power is where the real money lies. To start with, senators can be bribed, increasing your political pull in Venice. With enough political power on your side, you might even be appointed Doge of Venice, which yields more money and the chance to cause lots of trouble for your competing merchants. If you're long on wealth but short on power, you can use other illicit means to improve your standing. If a rival has too many senators under his thumb, you can pay an assassin to adjust the balance of power. If an opposing family is gaining popularity, hire a slanderer to smear his name. If you have your eye on the title of Doge, have the current Doge assassinated.
A similar power game can be played with the Catholic church. Cardinals can be "bought" like any other commodity. This improves your standing in the church, and also gives you extra money through the sale of indulgences. If you can keep enough cardinals in your corner, you may have a shot at becoming Pope when the current one dies--a very enviable position for any crooked businessman. Naturally, if you have a stable full of cardinals and not much patience, you can hire an assassin to remind the current Pope of those serious health issues he should have paid more attention to.
Machiavelli the Prince is a game that appeals to the dirty politician in all of us. It will also appeal to anyone who likes trading games like Railroad Tycoon and Transport Tycoon. The box art still isn't the most eye-catching stuff on the shelves, but don't let that dissuade you. This is a unique and addictive game that's easy to learn (thanks in part to a decent tutorial in the manual) and more than a little original. Pick it up now. You probably won't get a third chance.
