"This game is one of the best C64 games ever!"

M.U.L.E. is perhaps one of the greatest games in the history of video gaming. Created in 1983 by Electronic Arts, it allowed up to four players the chance to colonize a planet and compete with the other players. You pick from eight alien races (human included), and you colonize the planet Irata. (Atari spelled backwards.) Depending on the difficulty, you spend either six or twelve months on the planet gaining resources and buying property. Outfitted with M.U.L.E.s (robotic pack animals, in essence,) you purchase property and obtain resources from it, for money. (Like other games, he who has the most money in the end wins.) While you attempt to create the greatest colony on the planet, obstacles such as pirates and weather can ruin your property. After the time has expired, remaining money and property are tallied up to determine the winner.

Graphics: 8
The graphics are pretty good when it comes to a C64 game. The landscape of the planet could have been more detailed, but there are limitations on a computer as old as this. This is a game coming from an era where games were made on the basis of good gameplay, and not necessarily graphics. (As such, objects do not ''bleed'' into one another like some modern games.)

Sound: 8
The theme song to this game is one of the catchiest game themes ever. I suggest hearing it immediately, and afterwards, you'll never get it out of your head. I am serious. SMB, Tetris, and M.U.L.E. - perhaps the top three catchiest themes. While the game itself lacks in sound (there is no real need for it) the theme makes up the difference.

Control: 9
You either use the C64 keyboard or a joystick. There are no real control problems in this game; the characters move in the direction you want them to, as the control system is responsive.

Gameplay: 10
This game was revolutionary. It set up a system that has been copied many times over. I could play this game time and time again and not be bored of it. While playing the game may not be exciting for some, it is better playing with friends or family.

Overall (not an average): 10
I highly recommend dusting off the old C64 and playing this game. Find and old one at a garage sale or flea market. This game is definitely worth searching for.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/25/01, Updated 03/25/01