by Adrienne Brunner

Created on: August 27, 2008   Last Updated: August 30, 2008

Smugglers 4
Niels Bauer Games
5/5

Smugglers 4 is a fun, turn-by-turn role-playing war strategy game that is likely to become the next greatest addiction in game play. Players can choose to be a trader, combat trader, mercenary, bounty hunter, smuggler or even a pirate. The player also chooses which of four exciting factions to join.

Players can choose to change the game's difficulty, the way turns are played, messages are displayed and even the types of sound effects desired. The object of the game is to advance higher and higher and become the leader by earning promotions through finishing missions, making successful trades, plundering other ships and making ship upgrades.

Playing the game is fun, and there are some obvious improvements made on this version versus the previous versions and other similar games. For example, a player can simply play the game, focusing on missions and trades without worrying about having to refuel or repair the ship. This is just one of the nice changes made to this game. The trial version consists of 300 turns, which is more than enough to determine whether a player would want to purchase the game. However, when becoming a criminal for attacking other ships, it seems to take many turns before the criminal status disappears, allowing a player to begin making upgrades to his or her ship again. Also, it does not seem to be much of a risk to carry contraband, as I was not once "caught" during trial version play.

The tutorial is well done, allowing the player to experience a wide variety of play while receiving helpful instructions. During the tutorial, the player also chooses which picture to use. The tutorial can even be hidden so the player can see the full screen.

The graphics, although not amazing, are quite good for this type of game, colorful and sharp, and the music is appropriately "spacey" along with the corresponding space sounds of battle, flying, etc. The controls and screens are intuitive and easy to use, even though it appears at first to be a bit overwhelming. If the player forgets what a button does or needs help, they can move the mouse over it and helpful text will appear, or they can right-click on any part of the screen for additional help.

The excellent graphics, good maps, and intuitive menus make this game a solid 5/5 in every category. The trial version is recommended, but it's a no-brainer that this game is a must-have. Accept a mission to dominate space today!

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