Sea Trader: Rise of Taipan

"Down by the sea..."

Just a quick question: How many of you are skipping homework to play your GBA? Don't be shy about it, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Some of the games on those little cartridges are downright addictive. The trick is learning how to balance out the study time and the playtime to get the most out of both aspects. But if you can't, the folks over at Jaleco Entertainment have come up with a decent alternative in the form of Sea Trader: Rise of Taipan. Instead of focusing on hours of mind-numbing combat, this game mostly revolves around your common sense. Unlike many of the games out on the GBA today, there is a wealth of handy information and concepts hidden within the gameplay.

At this point, you're probably thinking something along the lines of, “An educational video game in this generation? This fool speaks of blasphemy!” As remarkable as it may seem, Sea Trader incorporates many of the concepts that you've learned or will learn in an Economics course. For all of you Economics majors and Alan Greenspan hopefuls, this game should right up your alley. You are the captain of a ship situated in the South China Sea. You aren't there to become some sort of feudal warlord or conqueror. Instead, you seek success with an entirely different method: trading. Instead of being an almighty samurai warrior, you are a lowly goods trader with ambition. Your dream is to become the most powerful taipan in Southeast Asia, eventually spreading to other parts of the world. Instead of conquering your rivals with swords covered with blood, you'll take them out indirectly by buying them out and taking complete dominance over the Asian trade industry. But in order to become the greatest taipan who ever sailed the seas, you must rely on your intellect, savvy trading skills and a general understanding of how trade markets operate.

The goal is simple: make money. It's how you obtain that money that makes the strategy in this game interesting. Since you're a goods trader, you'll be on the lookout for great prices on items, deals on merchandise, and any other advantages that could lead to your success. Is that stock of fruit being sold for a fair price? Go and check out the other ports around the South China Sea and see if anyone else is willing to bargain for less. Once you've found a commodity worth investing in, take to another port and sell it for more money than you spent. Hooray, you've just made your first profit! In order to ensure your success, just keep on up with that basic strategy of buying and selling, supply and demand. Eventually, you'll make more money than you'll ever have dreamed.

Of course, your success doesn't rely solely on the supply and demand of the various ports. Just like with any kind of success, you have to work at it. All that money you'll be making can't go directly into your pocket. In order to transport goods, you have to have a ship that's capable of making the long voyages from port to port. That means that you'll have to maintain your vessel and upgrade it with new and more effective parts when you think you can afford to. Remember, you aren't the only goods trader out there on the sea. You'll meet all sorts of characters out there that are willing to help you out or trying to make it big like you. If you have a drink with the tavern keeper, he can give you all sorts of insider rumors that can help you get the advantage early. If you don't feel safe carrying a lot of cargo, you can store items in a port warehouse for a fixed fee. You can deposit, withdraw, or take a loan from the local bank. If you give away funds to certain people, can gain the upper hand in the industry by trading in the black market. You can even obtain new maps to lead you to new ports and new business opportunities. You have to fend off pirates from stealing your supplies. Also, the so-called Harbor Guards are supposedly there to help you, but are more than willing to take all of the cash that you've worked so hard to obtain. And since the bank hires bounty hunters to handle their dirty work, you had better pay off any debts you owe quickly. This game isn't just about making money; it's about spending that money and its potential resources wisely. If you don't, you won't realize any of your dreams of success.

If you play your resources carefully, you'll be sailing high and powerful on the seas. Unfortunately, you won't be enjoying the view too much. While you'll be making loads of cash on both legitimate and black market goods, you won't really be able to see exactly what you're selling. The graphics don't allow for much detail when it comes to overall presentation. Instead of attempting realism, the game designers took the more stylish Jackie Chan Adventures method of portraying the various ports and towns. The characters are essentially caricatures of real people. The boats and the buildings seem flat and indistinguishable. Instead of being drawn into the surroundings, it feels like more like a bunch of menus with some creative backgrounds. Also, the music sounds like it was recorded from an old Kung Fu movie, but it has little emotional appeal and adds nothing to the overall atmosphere. And since there is such a lack of appeal, it starts to hinder the game's overall longevity And if you're not interested in keeping up with the trade, this game can get boring after playing through the first few years or so.

In the end, Sea Trader offers something more than the usual clashes of samurai warriors and other stereotypical presentations of the Orient. Instead of making you hack and slash you way to success, this game makes you learn basic concepts of economics, business strategy and a little bit of common sense to aid you on your quest to greatness. This game will last as long as you're interested as continuing the trading operations. Of course, Sea Trader isn't for everyone. For those of you that want something action-packed and fast-paced, don't bother looking for this game. For those of you that want an interesting and, dare I say it, educational variation to the strategy genre, have a look at Sea Trader. If you play intelligently, the rise of your taipan can be your own success.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/19/04