Features:

• Multiplayer mode allowing up to 4 gamers to play over a LAN or the Internet
• Unique empire-building simulation set in the 17th and 18th centuries
• Experience the golden age of exploration and trade; discover new islands
• Establish, expand, and maintain a flourishing medieval metropolis
• Interact with other players through trade, diplomacy, or military conflicts

Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
1701 A.D. is a unique empire building simulation set in the 17th and 18th centuries. In this third episode of the incredibly successful series, players are immersed in the golden age of exploration and trade, where they set out to discover and inhabit new islands - islands that will soon be home to huge cities. Players are tasked with establishing, expanding and maintaining a flourishing medieval metropolis while interacting with other players through trade, diplomacy or military conflicts. 1701 A.D. presents players with a 3D gaming world bursting with life from the vibrant citizens, to the incredibly varied flora and fauna to detailed animated animals. Multiplayer mode allowing up to 4 gamers to play over a LAN or the Internet in Player vs. Player or Co-Op modes. Secret operations, such as sabotage, espionage and demagoguery, build greater interaction between parties Queen feature provides help to players during lower levels and introduces challenges as the game progresses Village center, which is the hub of the settlement, provides players with a real-time gauge of the city's progress through the appearance of the center and the activities of its inhabitants. Optional military elements allowing for unit troop formations and troop feedback as they take part in spectacular battles on land and at sea

Rating : - Extremely fun game
Finding this lesser known series and getting this title for Christmas has been a wonderfully enjoyable experience, although not as much so for the other people in my life who have not seen much of me over the past couple of weeks as a result. I found 1701 to be immediately engrossing as the problems that it presented me to solve combined with the lush images and details very difficult to walk away from. The game is much like a mix of the SimCity titles and Age of Empires III with combat being optional at the lower levels. Expanding and progressing your colony involves producing ever more complicated goods and trade routes for your colonists, and even though the game moves at a slower pace then most real-time-strategy games, you will still find it hard to keep on top of all aspects of game.

My only complaint is that having played the game many times now, it does get a bit repetitive as the needs of your colonists in each new game will be basically the same as the last one. Since an experienced player will know this, they can simple go about acquiring all the different types of territories at the beginning of each game. Had the designers thought to add a little bit more variability and some extra resource types (say maybe coffee, tea, porcelain etc) then each new game would be a bit more unpredictable for the experienced player.

Even with this and a few other minor flaws, the game is highly enjoyable for the more patient gamer, and will provide many hours of fun.