guesses, always some advice either from locals or past chronicles." The player must send out trade or military units to explore the world, facing pirates, brigands, and storms at sea and in the desert, or negotiate with the other families to purchase more accurate maps from them. Many cities are initially closed to foreign traders and their leaders must be bribed or forcibly removed to open them to trade. Defeating a city with Venice's armed forces or one's own mercenaries permits one to control it (closing it to rivals) or to negotiate its status as a freeport (left open to rivals but providing a large boost to popularity). The time and effort exploration takes is somewhat compensated by the occasional discovery of extremely valuable relics—such as a head of John the Baptist—that are sold to the cathedral at Venice. Trade In addition to uncle Niccolo's stipend, the player can earn income from indulgences and government offices. Ultimately, the most profitable course is to begin trading various commodities among the world's major cities. Trade is possible via small or large galleys (fast and nimble but frail in storms), small or large cogs (slow and unable to use small rivers but resistant to storms at sea), donkey teams (resistant to rockslides), or camel caravans (resistant to sandstorms). Up to 15 units may be purchased and used together. The commodities include Venetian glass, French wine (as "grog"), relics from the Holy Land, African gold and ivory, Chinese silk, and Indonesian spices, though not salt or slaves. The cities include major centers such as Venice and Khanbaliq (misspelled "Kahnbalig"), along with oddities like Antioch and imaginary locales like Shangri-La (as "Xiangrala"). Depending on the difficulty level, brigandry and piracy may be rampant and each successful attack makes them stronger still. Guards may be hired to deal with them but can be quite expensive and, if unpaid, will turn to brigandage. Goods become extremely valuable in times of crisis: during interdicts from the pope (driving away pious traders), outbreaks of plague (which usually begin a decade or two into the game), and wartime. Trading under such conditions can be highly profitable but risky: plague may destroy one's trading units and they may be attacked by rival or renegade armies. All three games support automated trading routes, although the path selection and bugginess varies among the versions. History The games begin in the year 1300. The