A merchant is a fantasy-based economic game created by the Polish studio Color7 Productions. The player plays the role of a tradesman who has to gain wealth in order to buy his fiancée out of the hands of pirates. Production is a conversion of a hit from 8-bit computers.
The buyer is one of the most interesting Polish productions created for 8-bit platforms. Originally, the game by the Color7 Productions development team was released as an Atari version. Thanks to TimSoft's efforts, in 1997 a port for PCs was released.
The action of the game was set in the fantastic World of Fogs. The main character, in which the player plays, leads a prosperous life as a wealthy merchant. During one of the expeditions, however, he is attacked and robbed by pirates. What is worse, the bandits are also abducting his beloved, demanding a very high ransom for her head.
The player's task is to get enough money (2 million ducats) to redeem the girl from the hands of the kidnappers. To this end, he travels the world of fogs, trading in various goods (clothes, weapons, jewellery, food and others) and undertaking risky expeditions in search of treasures, and even dangerous work in diamond mines.
The game is based on a simple assumption "to buy cheaply, to sell expensive". Commodity prices vary from location to location and fluctuate periodically. The player must therefore demonstrate a trade flaw and adequate resourcefulness. The task is complicated by various random events, including meetings with robbers.
Buyer's visual setting clearly indicates 8-bit roots. The game interface is primarily a drop-down menu. Graphic elements in the form of static pictures are only a decoration.
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Last updated on August 14, 2015
Kupiec Summary
Platforms:
PC Windows
Developer: Color7 Productions
Publisher: TimSoft
Age restrictions: none
