If you’ve never tried Port Royale or Patrician, but are looking to explore a truly engaging “period piece” that will provide hours of entertainment, take Rise of Venice for a spin. As the latest offering from Kalypso and Gaming Minds, the game succeeds at re-creating an age out of mind through the very modernity of its design, and the presentation is as slick as any other new release you’ll find out right now.

Rise of Venice is a motivating business simulation set in the 15th century in the Mediterranean Sea. It comes with detailed 3D-graphics, a large scale with a dynamic trade system and manifold possibilities of commerce and politics and should entertain you for months. Perhaps beginners will be overly challenged in the further progress of the game when many trade routes need to be managed, missions should be accomplished, and people are starving because of famine and pirate attacks on your ships.

All in all, Rise of Venice is a bit like a new flavor of Ben & Jerry’s. It is new, exciting and heartwarmingly familiar to anyone who has tasted the other flavors before.

Rise of Venice hasn't been built from scratch but compared to Port Royale 3 it comes with added politics, a 3D map and adjustments in all the right spots. It's a classic trading sim where everything works together extremely well and it will keep you busy for weeks.

Rise of Venice is conservative in the best sense of the word. It's a classic simulation, German through and through, brimming with detail, depth but still accessible to players new to the genre.

Free-flowing strategy with a wealth of features. An element of grind, but plenty of satisfying moments too .

It’s definitely a step in the right direction for the series as a whole, but I can’t help but feel Gaming Minds have held out on us a little bit.

Rise of Venice finds an interesting angle on the trading history. However, it's a shame that virtual Venice is filled with rats and troublesome pigeons. It's a fail they were not swept out entirely. Anyway, we've just been playing a beautiful strategy game with one very ugly bug.

This is a game that demands a lot up front but pays off down the road as long as you stay patient when it comes to online homework and in-game experimentation.

Rise of Venice is an addictive game, despite a few flaws. The sea battles are boring, while the tutorials is not covering all important aspects. However, when you discovered all options and possibilities the game gains its momentum.

It's a playful excursion into basic mercantile capitalism, striking the same tones as games like Euro Truck Simulator, turning the apparently mundane into tangible entertainment. Built upon sturdy foundations, and executed effectively, Rise of Venice is a simple game with simple core, but enjoyable all the same.

A competent, niche title that never fully realises its potential. Fills a gap in the modern game library but little more than that. [Feb 2014, p.88]

Suffice it to say, I didn’t enjoy Rise of Venice at all. It crashes too often, it doesn’t explain itself well (and for some reason the tutorial video is hidden in the quest journal), and the endless buying and selling just gets tedious, especially since automating the process seems to remove any chance of actually earning a profit with it, or at least that’s how it worked for me.

Rise of Venice excels because of the complex and enticing economic system, but forgets to build something good around that. This makes it hard to actually enjoy the game.

Rise of Venice is really simple at its heart. The lengthy campaign isn’t too exciting and doesn’t pose a real challenge, and the other modes just can’t offer much else to be excited for.

A naval trip to the Renaissance, when hardline capitalism was king. If you enjoy managing caravans in Civilization, this game's for you. If not? Just another German micro-managing spree. [Nov 2013]

In a year awash with excellent PC strategy titles, Rise of Venice is stranded on the shores of disappointment. But at least the trade skills it imparts may enable you to swap it for a better game.