Machiavelli the Prince

Machiavelli the Prince is a strategy and economic game created by Holistic Design for MicroProse, which is de facto a modernized version of Merchant Prince, released in 1993 by QQP. The plot leaves no illusions: Your rich uncle Niccolo, just before his death, inherits a little penny and a map of the world known in the 14th century. As a future merchant, you must make the name of your family famous, first in Venice, then in Italy and finally on the whole continent.

Holistic Design product faithfully continues the tradition of the original. It contains all the elements that made the original Merchant Prince popular: extensive merchant options, a strategic approach to gameplay with the possibility of exterminating competitors in different ways and realism, manifested by the complex political situation of those times. It is worth mentioning that apart from trading in its purest form (buying goods in one place and selling them more expensive in another), you will be able to buy yourself at the grace of the Pope by dragging cardinals sitting in the Vatican to your side, or become a plough if you gain the favors of senators. The game is very complex and you will be surprised by the multitude of options. Buying works of art, accusing opponents of corruption (after appointing a judge), hiring paid murderers capable of killing senators bribed by the competition - these are just a handful of possibilities offered by Machiavelli the Prince.

Visually, the game gives a much better impression than the original. Enhanced resolution, a large number of colors, made with a lot of piety icons - all this should appeal to even the greatest malcontent. An additional charm is added to the main screen of the program, bringing to mind the immortal Civilization of Sid Meier. The soundtrack is also not one of the worst and introduces the evocative atmosphere of the Renaissance. If somebody gets bored with historical realities, they can rely on the grace of a computer and generate the world randomly. The same applies to opponents - if they are not a strong enough competitor for us, it is always worth inviting other players (up to four) to play. The game takes place at one computer and is not a problem, especially since the whole is divided into successive rounds.

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Last updated on August 14, 2015