Max Design 1992
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 2/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

In late 1992, two trading simulations were competing for the (German / European) market: Der Patrizier (also know as The Patrician abroad) and 1869. The latter came a little later (wow...) and it was generally considered the loser in this direct duel by the press. Only by a small margin, though - a very good second place.

Starbyte 1991
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 2/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Coal mining: an industry living 100% from subsidies. Here in Germany, they only stopped training new miners quite recently, i.e. until then, they let people go to their doom job-wise by pretending this still has a future. Unbelievable! Obviously, there were different times, too. 100 years ago, coal mining became the backbone of the industrial revolution. And that's the time this game is about.

Ascon 1992
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 4/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

The late Middle Ages: The Baltic Sea are is ruled by the Hanseatic League, an alliance of flourishing cities ruled by a class of wealthy merchants. As an aspiring merchant in any of those cities, each player tries to build up a trading empire by sending out ships, buying and selling goods and establishing offices in as any cities as possible.

Promotion Software 1994
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 2/6
Licence: Freeware
System: Amiga

We're slowly turning into a propaganda site for the government - this is already the third game financed by them we're presenting! No idea what we're trying to compensate with that, wishful thinking at our school days maybe (since they're all 'educational' games) or bad conscience because of the terrorist acts.... er... better stop talking about that now.

Blue Byte 1993
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 5/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

British and American games usually keep their names when they're released in Germany - even if it's a translated version. That's good, makes international conversations about them easier. German companies on the other hand sometimes take really silly measures to increase their chance on the international market. Not that it has ever worked, but giving up would be silly, too. One of the effects is that German games have English names - even here. If you can't see anything strange about that, you're probably from the USA. What would you think if a game by an 'American' company would carry a title in Suaheli? To take it one step further: what would you think if a game by a German company was released in your country carrying a German title?

Impressions 1991
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 4/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Impressions never had the best reputation with the mainstream gamers. They mainly produced quite inaccessible (granted) strategy titles. Caesar and Cohort are maybe their widest known classic titles. The vast majority of their games completely disappeared though.

elefanten Schuh GmbH / WWF 1993
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 2/6
Licence: Freeware
System: Amiga

A well-known shoe company of the 80s teams up with a well-known environmental organization of the 80s to present you this economical simulation. Commercial advertisement mixed up with promotion for a 'good cause' - very, very questionable.

Rauser / BWMi 1993
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 2/6
Licence: Freeware
System: Amiga

Just a little more than ten years ago (in 1993), there was no 'Internet' of today's proportions. Computer magazines coming with CDs full of stuff were still uncommon, too. To be exact, the first 'one-shot issues' of this kind appeared in early 1994 in Germany. So, 1993 was still a year of game demos being spread on floppy disks, and those were available on quite a few magazine covers.

Starbyte 1993
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 4/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

A German strategy game with decent graphics and intuitive controls? What a novel idea! Ok, there are exceptions - think of Battle Isle and The Settlers. Hannibal can't quite reach that high level, but it comes close enough...

Impressions 1995
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 5/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

I have conquered medieval England countless times in countless variations (i.e. games) already. All the mixes have very similar flavours, the differences are marginal. In such a (once) overcrowded genre, these little things count though!