This Windows version of the popular game Taipan is a great upgrade for the original version of this strategy game. It was originally released for the Apple II and the TRS-80, and was originally released in the early eighties. It was created by Mega Micro Computers and released by Avalanche Productions. The remake for the Windows operating system is very similar, but is fanmade and finally brings this great game to the personal computer.
The premise behind the game play of Taipan is very simplistic.
You are a ship’s captain in Hong Kong. The year is some time in the 1860s. Your goal is to use your small ship to build up wealth and prestige and become a rich and respected Taipan. The becomes interesting from the start and the way the user chooses to begin the game can really define how the game unfolds. He can either start with a very little bit of money. This he gets from the lender. The lender’s rule states that he will always loan you up to twice the amount you already possess. If you have nothing, in other words no down payment, you will get no loan. He makes
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this exception at the beginning of the game and loans you a bit, expecting to be repaid in a timely fashion, and also charges 10% a month interest. The other option gives you absolutely no money at the onset of the game, which means the lender will give you none until you acquire some on your own. However, the ship will be equipped with five cannons, which is fairly formidable. You can make a choice very quickly whether you will be more likely to steer your career toward trade or bounty.
The economics in the game are very simple. Buy low and sell high. There are a variety of goods available, but one of the most lucrative…with this being the far east in the nineteenth century…is opium. Another way to make money is by tackling pirates, the defeat of which will bring quite a sum in bounty. You can fill warehouses with goods if you find them at an especially cheap price, and can access them for later sales to make some excellent profits. There are also dangers to keep you jumping, such as pirates and other bullies who will steal your money or demand tribute to keep from attacking you. It is an interesting game, and is certainly one of the cornerstones of the many modern trading games, such as Trade Winds, that are available today.
