Sea Trader: Rise of Taipan

The Good
It was extremely easy to learn. The storyline is engaging the first time you read it. It can be picked up and continued at any time. It translates well into a handheld game. And how good you want to do or how deep you want to get into the game is up to you. You could just sail your ship from port to port if you like,

The Bad
The items you can trade are limited. There is very little variety. Captured ships barely contain any booty. The lower value items, even when bought from a city where they are rotting in the streets and sold to a city in famine, give minimal returns. And the background music can get boring.

The Bottom Line
You take the role as the Captain of a Ship. You select your first mate based on attributes they have that help you in certain aspects. A fast navigator, better negotiator, repair engineer or weapons expert. Sail the seas of South China to start. Drinking in taverns to hear rumors of the world. Visit merchants. Buy low, sell high. Once you have a good enough reputation you can join the secret trading society and deal in "Elite" controlled substances, all with creative fictional names. Maps to other areas of the world are available for huge amounts of money. Repair and upgrade your ship along the way. Win awards. The goal is to make as much money as possible.