|
A fun, tongue-in-cheek simulation of Egypt empire, Ramses is a decent freeware game that tackles one of the most ignored topics: simulating ancient economies. Although the game doesn't take itself too seriously, or purport to be a "realistic" sim, it does offer quite a few interesting options that make the game well worth a look for anyone who is interested in "light" strategy games. For starter, your overall objective as pharaoh is to build and finish a pyramid (for yourself, of course). Since pyramid building is an expensive, long-term endeavor, you will have to seek income from trade and taxes. Trade, in turn, requires you to build various types of ships around the Mediterranean to conduct commerce. You will also have to watch the level of harvest, because it keeps your people fed, and is one type of offering you can make to the Egyptian gods (gold is the other type of offering you can make) to aid in your rule. You can succeed in the game by just doing the right trades between cities for various types of goods (i.e. buy low, and sell high), although it is a bit more fun to leverage the game's more unique options, such as giving alms to the poor, and buy/sell land. Overall, a pleasant diversion fans of business sims -- especially beginners-- might want to take a look. Note: Game text can be toggled between German and English. Reviewed by: Underdogs | 
