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.

Futura 1990
Genre: Simulation, Strategy
Rating: 4/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Everyone who tries this game will notice the similarity to Silent Service. Graphics, sound and even controls are almost the same. And also the topic differs only slightly: Instead of a sub, you're in charge of a british destroyer in WW2.

Blue Byte 1991
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 5/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Battle Isle - the game which got two different groups of games into public focus: wargames and German games. Both had had their loyal fan-base before, but both had been small. Tactical wargames turned into a very popular genre following this game. German games stayed a niche market in spite of this game's success.

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.

Sensible Software / Virgin Interactive 1993
Genre: Action, Strategy
Rating: 4/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Take the title. Take the slogan 'war has never been so much fun'. It's obvious Cannon Fodder is not a game to be taken seriously. Is war something to make fun of? Well, why not? However, it doesn't make a game automatically good as some people seem to suggest. It's still the game which counts, not the theme. So let's talk about the game.

CDS 1989
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 3/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Chess might be the most known strategy games in existence. Who knows? One thing is for sure though: it is one of the simplest. At least the rules are simple. It's easy to learn how to play. Reminds my of the time back when I was working in the kindergarten where I taught this game to a bunch of interested children between 4 and 6. That was the time in my life when I played chess most frequently. Almost every day someone challenged me. Yeah, that was fun! At last some real competitors

neo Software 1994
Genre: Strategy, Puzzle
Rating: 5/6
Licence: Freeware
System: Amiga

Lured by the promise of quick money, Matt Stuvysunt arrives in London in early 1953. A meeting with his not very sympathetic, but nevertheless fascinating aquaintace Briggs provides him with a used car, some startup money and at least a faint idea where to start: a small kiosk somewhere out of town. Low gain, but also close to zero risk. Briggs himself is obviously up to something a lot bigger.

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?