Merchant Colony

Last updated: January 11, 2026

Overview

Merchant Colony is a complex strategy and business simulation game released in 1991 during the golden age of European computer gaming. Developed by Impressions Games and published by Merit Studios in North America, the game challenges players to build a successful trading empire during the Age of Exploration¹. The game’s scope is notably ambitious—rather than managing a single colony as the title might suggest, players are tasked with developing an entire colonial empire spanning multiple continents².

Set in the 18th century, Merchant Colony simulates the naval trading and colonial expansion that characterized the era of great merchant companies like the East India Trading Company³. Players take on the role of a beginner shipowner with limited capital who must develop their business through shrewd trading, colony establishment, and strategic resource management⁴. The game encompasses colonization, industrial development, trading, and warfare, offering a comprehensive simulation of geo-politics during the age of expansionism⁵.

Despite receiving mixed reviews from contemporary gaming magazines, Merchant Colony has attracted a dedicated cult following among fans of historical strategy games. The game is considered a forerunner to Impressions’ later and more polished title, High Seas Trader (1995), and was released three years before Sid Meier’s celebrated Colonization⁶.

Game Info

Developer: Impressions Games¹ Designer: David Lester⁷ Publisher: Merit Studios (North America), Impressions (Europe)¹ Engine: Proprietary Platforms: DOS, Amiga, Atari ST¹ Release Year: 1991 Series: None Protagonist: Player-controlled merchant prince Sierra Lineage: Non-Sierra

Story Summary

Merchant Colony does not feature a traditional narrative structure but instead places players within a historical simulation set during the 18th century colonial period. The player assumes the role of a merchant prince whose ambition is to build a dominant trading company capable of rivaling the great mercantile organizations of the era³. Beginning with modest resources, the player must navigate the complex world of international trade and colonial expansion.

The game’s setting encompasses the entire globe during a period when European powers competed fiercely for control of trade routes and colonial territories. Players represent an emerging mercantile power seeking to establish footholds in exotic locations around the world, from the Americas to Asia, competing with established nations and dealing with the ever-present threat of piracy⁸. The ultimate objective, as described by players, is essentially world domination through economic and colonial supremacy⁹.

The player’s journey begins in Europe with limited funds and no ships, requiring careful financial management and strategic decision-making from the outset. As the empire grows, the merchant prince must balance exploration of new territories, establishment of profitable colonies, management of trade routes, and military defense against both pirates and rival nations¹⁰. Success or failure depends entirely on the player’s ability to manage these interconnected systems effectively.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Merchant Colony employs a top-down perspective with a mouse-driven interface that was standard for strategy games of its era¹¹. The game presents information through a series of screens showing statistics, maps, and management options. While comprehensive, the interface was noted by contemporary reviewers as being difficult to master, with one reviewer describing it as “very hard to grasp”¹².

The game operates in two primary phases: a management phase where players make strategic decisions about their empire, and a sailing phase where ships traverse the global map⁴. Players use the keyboard and mouse to navigate between different screens and issue commands to their ships, colonies, and personnel¹. Speed controls are available through keyboard shortcuts, with ALT+S activating slow speed and ALT+R returning to normal speed⁶.

Structure and Progression

The game unfolds as an open-ended simulation without predetermined chapter breaks or linear progression. Players must organically build their empire by:

• Ship Acquisition: Purchasing and maintaining a fleet capable of global trade and exploration⁵
• Colony Establishment: Founding settlements in strategic locations to produce valuable goods²
• Trade Development: Creating profitable trade routes connecting colonies with markets¹⁰
• Industrial Expansion: Developing production facilities for goods like coffee, tea, sugar, diamonds, and gold¹²
• Military Operations: Defending trade routes and potentially conquering rival trading posts¹²

Progression is measured by the growth of the player’s trading company, the extent of colonial holdings, and overall wealth accumulated. Players can hire various specialists including teachers, engineers, and settlers to expand their operations⁴.

Puzzles and Mechanics

Rather than traditional puzzles, Merchant Colony presents players with complex economic and strategic challenges. The core mechanics involve:

Trade Management: Players must understand supply and demand across different regions, buying goods cheaply in colonies and selling them at profit in distant markets. Commodities include natural resources and manufactured products, with different colonies specializing in different goods⁶.

Naval Operations: Ships must be purchased, crewed, and sent on voyages around the world. Long sea expeditions carry significant risk, as they are vulnerable to pirate attacks⁴. Players must balance the potential profits of distant trade routes against the dangers and time required.

Colonial Administration: Each colony requires management attention, with players deciding what goods to produce and how to develop local industry¹⁰. Sending soldiers can allow players to conquer trading posts and dominate specific commodities¹².

Diplomacy and Warfare: Computer-controlled nations compete with the player through trading, diplomacy, or outright warfare¹⁰. Managing these relationships adds another layer of strategic complexity.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Merchant Colony received mixed reviews from gaming publications, with scores varying dramatically depending on the reviewer’s tolerance for complexity and patience with the interface.

Magazine Reviews:

• Joystick gave the game a strong 89%, with reviewer Moulinex praising its depth in the April 1991 issue¹³
• Amiga Format awarded 67%, reviewed by Trenton Webb in the June 1991 issue¹³
• Amiga Action scored the game 60% in their May 1991 issue¹³
• CU Amiga gave 59%, with Dan Slingsby reviewing for the May 1991 edition¹³
• Amiga Joker was notably harsh, awarding only 23% in a review by Joachim Nettelbeck in May 1991¹³

The dramatic variance in scores—from 23% to 89%—reflects the polarizing nature of the game. Some critics appreciated its ambitious scope and historical depth, while others found the interface cumbersome and the pacing too slow¹².

Modern Assessment

Modern retrospectives have been somewhat kinder to Merchant Colony, with many acknowledging it as an underestimated game for its time. Games Nostalgia noted that “the game is not easy, and this is probably the reason why it didn’t have a huge success, but it’s a game that has definitely been underestimated”⁷. User reviews on preservation sites reflect fond memories, with one commenter on Lemon Amiga stating: “Merchant Colony got a bad review and score from game mags, but I thought this was one of the best games on the Amiga”¹².

However, the criticism of being a “boring precursor to Impressions’ vastly improved High Seas Trader” from HOTUD suggests the game is best appreciated within its historical context rather than as a timeless classic⁹. Another retrospective noted that “limited options and bland graphics seriously erode long-term play value”¹⁴.

Aggregate Scores:

• MobyGames Critic Average: 61% (7 ratings)¹⁵
• MobyGames Player Average: 3.4 out of 5 (2 ratings)¹⁵
• Atarimania: 7.7/10¹⁶
• Abandonware Games: 9.48/10¹⁷
• Abandonware DOS: 4.00/5.00¹¹
• OldGames: 60%¹⁰

Development

Origins

Merchant Colony was developed by Impressions Games, a British development studio founded in 1989 that specialized in strategy and business simulation games¹⁸. The company would later gain significant recognition for titles such as Caesar and Lords of the Realm before being acquired by Sierra On-Line in 1995¹⁸. The game represented an early effort by the studio to create a comprehensive historical trading simulation.

The design drew inspiration from the historical reality of 18th-century colonial trade, aiming to simulate the complex economic and political dynamics of the era. According to the game manual, the goal was to recreate “a complex, sophisticated trading game set in the age of expansionism” comparable to running organizations like the East India Trading Company³.

Production

Development was handled by Video Vulture, a team within the Impressions organization¹³. The game was designed by David Lester, with programming by Simon Bradbury¹³. The production team created versions for three contemporary platforms: DOS, Amiga, and Atari ST¹.

Development Credits:¹³

• Designer: David Lester
• Programmer (Coder): Simon Bradbury
• Graphics: Jill Lawson, Jon Baker
• Music: Christopher J. Denman

The game was localized for multiple European markets, with versions available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish¹⁶. This multi-language release reflected Impressions’ strategy of targeting the broader European market alongside North American distribution through Merit Studios.

Technical Specifications

DOS Version:¹

• Graphics: EGA and VGA versions available
• Perspective: Top-down view
• Audio: PC speaker, Sound Blaster compatible
• Media: 3.5” and 5.25” floppy disks⁵
• Players: Single-player only

Amiga Version:¹³

• Compatibility: OCS, ECS
• Memory: 0.5 MB required¹⁶
• Resolution: Low resolution mode
• Controls: Mouse
• Disks: 1 single-sided disk
• Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish

Atari ST Version:¹⁶

• Memory: 0.5 MB required
• Resolution: Low resolution
• Controls: Mouse
• Disks: 1 single-sided disk

Technical Achievements

While Merchant Colony was not known for technical innovation, it did achieve a comprehensive global scope that was ambitious for its time. The game allowed players to sail across the entire world map, establishing colonies and trade routes spanning multiple continents¹². This global perspective, combined with the detailed economic simulation, represented a significant programming challenge for 1991-era hardware.

The game featured distinct graphical styles for different information screens, though these were criticized by some reviewers for being “bland” and relying heavily on “long, tedious lists of statistics in static screens”⁹.

Technical Issues

The game was noted for its steep learning curve and complex interface, which contemporary reviewers found challenging¹². The slow pace of gameplay, while realistic for depicting trans-oceanic voyages, tested player patience¹². No major technical bugs have been documented in preservation sources, though modern players require emulation software such as DOSBox to run the game on contemporary systems¹¹.

Easter Eggs and Trivia

• The game was released three years before Sid Meier’s Colonization (1994), making it one of the earliest attempts at a comprehensive colonial trading simulation⁶
• Players could dominate specific commodities by conquering trading posts, allowing monopolistic control over goods like coffee, tea, sugar, diamonds, and gold¹²
• Despite similar themes, Merchant Colony should not be confused with the mobile game “Merchant” released in 2014, which is an unrelated location-based multiplayer game¹⁹

Version History

Version	Date	Platform	Notes
1.0	1991	DOS, Amiga, Atari ST	Initial release1
1.1	1991	DOS	Updated version available on preservation sites7
1.31	Unknown	MacOS	Later port for classic Macintosh7

Legacy

Sales and Commercial Impact

Merchant Colony did not achieve major commercial success upon release, with its reception hampered by mixed reviews and competition from other strategy titles⁷. The game’s complexity and steep learning curve limited its appeal to a niche audience of dedicated strategy enthusiasts. No specific sales figures have been documented in available sources.

The game served as a stepping stone for Impressions Games, which would go on to develop more successful titles including High Seas Trader (1995), which refined many concepts first explored in Merchant Colony⁹. The company’s later city-building games, including the Caesar series, would establish Impressions as a leading developer in the strategy genre.

Collections

Merchant Colony has not appeared in any major compilation releases. The game is primarily preserved through abandonware sites and digital archives, including the Internet Archive which hosts a playable version².

Fan Projects

No significant fan remakes or modifications have been documented for Merchant Colony. The game’s relatively obscure status and complex systems have limited community engagement compared to more popular strategy titles from the era.

Related Publications

• Game Manual: The original manual described the game as “a complex, sophisticated trading game set in the age of expansionism” and compared the player’s objective to building organizations like the East India Trading Company³
• In-game documentation: Help files and reference materials were included with the game

Critical Perspective

Merchant Colony occupies an interesting position in gaming history as an ambitious but flawed early attempt at the colonial trading simulation genre. While it preceded more celebrated titles like Colonization, its difficult interface and slow pacing prevented it from achieving the same recognition. The game demonstrates both the creativity and limitations of early 1990s strategy game design.

The dramatic variance in contemporary review scores—from 23% to 89%—illustrates how the game appealed strongly to players who appreciated its depth while frustrating those seeking more accessible gameplay. This polarization is characteristic of niche strategy titles that prioritize simulation depth over broad accessibility.

From a design perspective, Merchant Colony’s influence can be traced through Impressions’ later work, particularly High Seas Trader which refined many of the same concepts. The game represents an early exploration of themes—global trade, colonial expansion, economic management—that would become popular subgenres in their own right. While not a landmark title, Merchant Colony deserves recognition as a pioneering effort in historical economic simulation.

Downloads

Download / Preservation

• Internet Archive – MS-DOS Version
• MyAbandonware
• ClassicReload – Browser Playable
• DOS Zone – Browser Playable

Manuals & Extras

• OldGames.sk – Documentation

References

Footnotes

1. MobyGames – Merchant Colony – developer, publisher, platforms, release date, technical specs ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

2. Internet Archive – Merchant Colony (MS-DOS) – game description, scope of gameplay ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. BoardGameGeek Wiki – Merchant Colony Manual – game manual description, East India Company comparison ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. Gamepressure – Merchant Colony – gameplay description, two-phase system, pirate threats ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. Amazon – IBM Merchant Colony – product description, disk formats ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. VOGONS Forum – Merchant Colony Discussion – speed controls, historical context, related games ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

7. Games Nostalgia – Merchant Colony – designer credit, review score, underestimation assessment ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

8. ClassicReload – Merchant Colony – Age of Exploration setting, gameplay scope ↩

9. MyAbandonware – Merchant Colony – HOTUD review, player comments, world domination goal ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

10. OldGames.sk – Merchant Colony – gameplay description, diplomacy and warfare mechanics ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

11. Abandonware DOS – Merchant Colony – platforms, genres, user rating, DOSBox requirement ↩ ↩² ↩³

12. Lemon Amiga – Merchant Colony User Reviews – user comments on interface difficulty, commodity trading, global scope ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

13. Lemon Amiga – Merchant Colony – magazine reviews, development credits, technical specs ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

14. PlayClassic Games – Merchant Colony – retrospective criticism of graphics and options ↩

15. MobyGames – Merchant Colony Reviews – critic and player aggregate scores ↩ ↩²

16. Atarimania – Merchant Colony – Atari ST technical specifications, languages, user rating ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

17. Abandonware Games – Merchant Colony – user rating, platforms, game description ↩

18. Free Game Empire – Merchant Colony – Impressions company history, Sierra acquisition ↩ ↩²

19. MobyGames – Merchant (2014) – unrelated mobile game description ↩