From: ins739l@lindblat.cc.monash.edu.au (William Fang)
Subject: TRADERS - Amiga Format Review
Organization: Monash University
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 01:53:04 GMT


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With a name like TRADERS, you're proabably expecting something like
ELITE, or perhaps a stock-market simulator.  Instead it's a very odd, but
mildly entertaining game for up to four players.  Trading forms a major
part of the game, but you would be wrong again if you thought this was all
about exchanging cash.  We're talking about snail-trading here.  Good
old-fashioned barter, based on flowers, water, perfume, bugs, sapphires
and... snails.  Told you it was weird!

TRADERS is deep, and it takes a while to get used to, let alone become good
at.  It's full of complex relationships between trading currencies and a
host of nonsense which just adds to the confusion.  In a nutshell, it's a
game where the winner is the player who makes th emost cash - but there's
plenty more to it than that.


                                 ESCARGOT


The game takes place on a planet which used to be Earth.  The owner of this
planet is a huge green snail called Fat Mike.  He owns all the land which
the four players ut to make their money and grow their crops on.  As a
result he's entitled to a backhander (coolly referred to as 'rent') every
week.  If you don't pay, Fat Mike will begin 'eviction processes'.

The weirdest thing is the way you use the land you borrow.  There are a
number of "cash-crops" which you can barter with later on, and their 
success depends on the weather.  The trouble is, each crop requires an 
amount of the other crops.  For example, Polmi rabbits (one of the possible
crops) require flowers every week (or they won't dig for water).  If you 
have a good supply of Mabba Roses, your rabbits are satisfied, but if not,
you need to exchange another surplus crop for the flowers you need.


                                BART SIMPLY

The barter system is the most difficult part.  At the start of a bartering
session you have to decide whether you're going to sell or buy.  Then,
during the exchange phase, you rais or lower your price to match that of
the seller or buyer.  Sounds simple, but it's done with very strange
graphics, and the whole thing takes seconds.  Consequently, it's easy to
overspend.

TRADERS isn't simply about trading.  There's a vast number of incidental
screens and sub-games that require a bit of thought.  There's a robot war
section, where you can attack (and defend) plots of land in an attempt to
increase your land-area.  There's a space-rocket section where  you send 
out rockets to far-off planets to retrieve snails for Fat Mike.  He even
holds a contest for the most prolific snail-collects, with the prize of an
extra field for your collection.

TRADERS is, as I've said, an odd game.  The graphics are twee (they have a
tacky cartoon-feel which doesn't quite work) and the music is non-descript.
But there's a good deal of entertainment, especially if you're playing
against three other human competitors.  TRADERS doesn't have tha appeal of
games like ELITE, but it's still worth a look.  If there's nothing else you
fancy on the shelves this month, you could do a lot worse than this.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAT MIKE"S FARMING TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL TRADING

If you're going to trade, you need to know what you can grow and what it
produces - rose need water and produce perfume, for example.  Here's a
table of the various cash-crops and end produced:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
				BASIN		RABITS		ROSES
BUILDING MATERIAL
You'll need this before you	
can start generating crops,	
though how you make rabbits	Water		Perfume		Roses
from perfume...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPKEEP MATERIAL
Without upkeep, your crop
will soon die or cease to	Perfume		Roses		Water
produce anything worthwhile
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRODUCES
If you're luck, a well-
nutured crop produces the	Roses		Water		Perfume
following goodies, which
you can trade.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUN/HEAT			No Effect	Bad		Good

WIND/HURRICANE			Good		No Effect	Bad

RAIN/SNOW			Bad		Good		No Effect

The weather affects the quantities of crops that are produced each cycle,
but each crop is affected differently.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Name:		Traders
Publisher:	Linel/DI
Price		#29.99 (pounds sterling)


o	The cartoon graphics don't really make TRADERS look that appealing
	- but it is.

o	Lots and lots of sub-games and strange events to get involved in.

o	Can get a bit repetitive when you've been through the whole trading
	cycle a few times.

o	More fun when you're playing in a groupd of four human players.

o	Missalbe, but worth a look.


AMIGA FORMAT RATING:	70%

- Neil Jackson

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Transcribed from	Amiga Format
			Issue 39
			October 1992
			Page 84
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All typos are my fault.

Jim Fang
Faq maintainer
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games