Ocean Trader

Ocean Trader stands out as by far one of the best and most challenging simulations of its kind. Trading simulations have progressed a long way since Taiwan in the mid-1980s. Ocean Trader is a diverse game which places the player in the position of a shipping company executive who, initially with one large freighter, has to slowly build-up business, choosing the best commodities, the best ports, and the most efficient speed and fuel consumption combination. Options also exist to speculate on the stock market, to raise and repay credit, to insure ships and cargo and to buy used ships.

The game is made exciting by a number of real-life variables, including dock strikes, trade embargoes, and collisions at sea, and weather disturbances, allowing your ship to deteriorate will ultimately cause it to sink. By the same token, as in the real world, if your funds are low (for whatever reason), your ship will be repossessed. Although you are given money to compensate for the loss of your ship, this is sometimes not enough to purchase an available “used” ship, thus requiring you to engage in stock-market speculation. In this section of the game, you have the option of appointing an investment adviser, and of following finance reports and particular stocks, sometimes this can pay great dividends, at other times, this too can lead to a player’s early demise. If I may offer a hint to anyone who plays this game, the Very Important Ports are the following: Tokyo, New York, Hong Kong, San Francisco and Sydney.
Game-play is provided for up to four players, with the default human player generally being MH Baker of Sydney. So far, I have not been able to make it through long enough (I lasted until May 1997, after a start in January 1995) to successfully build or purchase the pinnacle of ships in the game, the Passenger Ship. The game allows you to play with a variety of ships including Tankers, Coastal Freighters, Large Freighters, Refrigerator Ships, Bulk Goods Carriers and Passenger Ships. So if you want to step into the shoes of Sir Samuel Cunard, J Bruce Ismay, or even the great Aristotle Onassis, This is the game for you! My final score being 8 out of 10, particularly as I thought the graphics could have been better, and on a personal level, I do consider this a far superior game to Ports Of Call.