Taipan

Sinclair User

PROFITING FROM SAILING THE ZX-81 CHINA SEAS Life on the China Seas can be exciting, so long as you do not owe money to the moneylender in this game for the ZX-81. Taipan appeared originally as a program in Sinclair User but now the author has decided to retail it. The object is to sail round the ports of Hong Kong, Singapore, Macao, Bangkok and Shanghai, to earn money from the sale of goods to the populace. Some of the cargos you will carry are strange and exotic, including general goods, arms, silk, opium - and even women. The game takes account of three ranks of trader - beginner, experienced trader and financial wizard. We do not know of anyone who has reached the financial wizard stage without owing plenty of money to the wicked Chinese moneylender, Sum Yan. One of the troubles of being a trader is that Sum Yan may send some of his 'boys' to beat the money out of you. When the buying and selling has finished at one port it is possible to go to another using the Quit command. The prices of goods there may be higher than at the port you have left and you may make plenty of money. As you travel from one port to another the interest on the money owed to Sum Yan increases, so it is a good idea to return to your home base of Hong Kong and pay back some of it. The promise of money and power in China proved false for us because we were never out of debt. That ensured that the game attracted some new addicts. Taipan is available from Jaysoft, [redacted]. It costs £4.95.