Rating: 
Summary: Hours of Fun
Review: 1602 has been, for me, quite alot of relaxing fun. I sometime enjoy just setting up an easy going game that requires a few tweaks a watching what developes. There are senarios that will tax your strategic prowess, but not to the extent of some of the newer games. If you want 3D action go somewhere else, this has good graphics, but is on par with the Civ3 graphics or Railroad Tycoon II. you are able to zoom in and whatch most of the action, but small controls on most of the proceedings. This is not a shootem up. The reason for the five stars is, no two games are exactly alike, hence no two outcomes are alike. This hit the spot for me. Most games, beginning to end on some of the bigger senarios, took several hours. Hope this helps and enjoy your game.
Rating: 
Summary: Great intro for people new to strategy gaming
Review: As an interesting alternative to the traditional building games like Caesar III and Age of Empires, 1602AD is easy to learn and play, with little of the complexity of the other, advanced games. You begin with a number of islands on the map, and with your flotilla of boats, you explore them, learning what each is good at producing. You settle on one, creating hunting lodges, tobacco plantations, sugar cane, chapels, and homes.Just as in the Caesar III style of games, there are steps to take to create products. You take tobacco from the farm and turn it into cigars. Sugar cane goes to the distillery and becomes alcohol, and the tavern buys it. You can also establish trade routes. An island low in tobacco can ship that in, and send off the stones it is mining. Homes develop in size as their needs are met. Quarry stone for more advanced buildings, and build your technology for more interesting options. Build up your sheep farm and send wool to the weaver for more content (and well dressed) inhabitants. There's combat too - pirates lurk in the seas, and nearby settlements compete with you for land. You can invade their territory, or try to outmerchant them. You can even multi-play to take on your friends in high seas adventure. While this is definitely fun for beginners, it leaves something to be desired for advanced players. I would recommend this to a family that wishes to play together, and for gamers new to strategy, who want to learn at a gentle pace how to manage resources and grow a city.
Rating: 
Summary: Good idea gone bad
Review: At first play a thought this game was for me. But a short time playing I relieved I was wrong. Being a fan of sim/build/war games and expecting that from 1602AD I was very disappointed. The game does incorporate building and war but room for expansion is limited (all you have to build on is small islands). Game play was difficult due to poor feed back during game play (being attacked and not even made aware). I purchased this game because people who brought The Sims also brought 1602AD. If you want a good game of building/war/sim I would recommend any of the Ages of Empires or Civilizations. Both good games. Please don't waste your time or money on 1602AD.
Rating:
Summary: General consensus proves to be true yet again *sigh*
Review: I bought this game because of the recommendation provided by John Harrison, the reviewer who wrote in on March 13, 2000. While it has proven to be fun, there are a few drawbacks to this game. Chief among them is that after a few hours of play, I find my colony running out of money frequently & cannot figure out how to resolve the situation. Secondly, the manual is way too vague on how to increase the workload and production levels of workshops which lag behind (that's what the "question-mark" symbol means). If the programmers at Infogrames could resolve these two issues in the next edition (or a sequel, perhaps?) they would have a sure winner on their hands! As it stands now, though, these two difficulties make an otherwise great game unnecessarily complex.
Rating: 
Summary: Average game
Review: I don't know how many of you have played Colonization, but it's almost like an advanced version of that game. While the idea of the game is exciting, game play is very difficult. The AI competition is too hard to handle while you're trying to deal with the complex stucture of running your colony. It's just an average game. I wouldn't consider bad or good, but I havn't played for a while now (if that says anything).
Rating:
Summary: It is a different colony simulation
Review: I find this game to be interesting. The game can be slow when you have no pirates or wars breaking out. It has good graphics. If you are looking for a long running scenario game without the slash/gore that many pc games have today, this one can be entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Ok But, Only After You Undrestand It
Review: I got it from my dad who couldn't get it to work. After a Couple of hours I got the game down. It was hard to figure out but is a great game.
Rating:
Summary: Ok But, Only After You Undrestand It
Review: I got it from my dad who couldn't get it to work. After a Couple of hours I got the game down. It was hard to figure out but is a great game.
Rating:
Summary: 1602ad for all Strategy Fans
Review: I have been a Gamer (Mainly Strategy) now for approx 18 months and have bought all the top rating Strategy games that have been distributed including Age of Empires, Railroad Tycoon, Homeworld,Caesar111, Pharaoh, Alpha Centauri,HOMM. now they are all in the drawer, I have been playing 1602ad (Demo Version) because as yet we cant get the full version here in Australia, every night and have become so addicted to it that I have been e mailing all over the World to try and get the full version. Never has a game captivated me so much, its Empire building and easy interesting progress of your City through development and trade always want me to try a new way and direction. One is not distracted by other players attacking you but to some regard you are left alone to better your own City. I now have reached the stage where the darn game shuts down after saying one should buy the full version and you have reached the level of under standing. I give this game 5 stars and recommend it most heartily. Perhaps when you have tried it you lucky Americans you can give me a email,, Good hunting, Grumpy Gramps
Rating:
Summary: 4 Stars (So Far)
Review: I just recently purchased this game, based mostly on the reviews written. So far I find it a very enjoyable experience, although it does take a little bit of time to get organized. As a beginning player it's best to start with the tutorial simulation. Although this will only give you a basic feel for the gameplay it is neccessary. The bottom line here is that you're just going to have to jump in and play before you understand the complexities of the game. A couple of hints that I've found out. Don't settle the first island you come to. Take a look around and find which island has the best potential to provide, not only for your settlers, but also for the trading goods you'll need to succeed. Also, be aggressive in building up your settlement. In some games it's sometimes best to build in a more methodical manner. Not so here. The quickler your settlement grows the better. I've rated this only 4 stars because I've barely looked at the different scenarios provided by the game. If they're as good as the basic game I have no doubt that I would rate this a 5 star game in the future. I would recommend this game for anyone who enjoys a game that requires strategy and forethought. This is NOT a game for the "shoot-em-up/slash-em-down" player. If you've enjoyed SimCity and the Civilizations games I'm sure you'll enjoy this as well. Happy Gaming!
| 
