M*U*L*E* is a game that has been with me for over half of my life. Developed in the 1980's by Ozark Softscape for EA, M*U*L*E* remains one of the greatest multi-player games ever to grace any computer format.

Even by the standards of the day, M*U*L*E* had pretty average graphics, with blocky (yet appealing) characters a map made up of lines, squares and triangles and little else, however beneath it's mild mannered exterior lurks a surprising amount of depth and variation for such a seemingly simple game. (That and one of the most memorable theme tunes ever on the c64).

M*U*L*E* puts each player (up to four) into the shoes of an intrepid colonist who is off to settle on the remote world of Irata. The player may choose from a variety of alien species, which according to the descriptions may excel at various aspects of game-play, but in 20 years of play I am damned if I ever noticed anything beyond aesthetic differences in all but the beginner and expert races (which merely start with more or less money than everyone else).

Once all the players have chosen their race, colour, and control method, it is off to Irata with as many computer players required to make up the number of players to a total of four, hitching along for the ride.

Once the ship has landed, the game is underway. Depending on the game mode you have selected, the game can last for either 6 or 12 months (rounds). The Beginner game only lasts 6 months, the Standard game 12, and the Tournament game lasts 12 months also and included an extra commodity for production. Since I don't know a single person who ever played the beginner or standard game more than once before playing the Tournament level, my descriptions below will detail that sort of game.

Land is one of the most crucial elements of success on the planet Irata and it may be gained in a number of ways. Firstly, each round there is a land grant round, where a large cursor skims along the surface of the planet, with each player picking out the plot of land they desire. Gamesmanship starts even here in this simple task, with players vying for the highest quality plots. After the land grant each round, there is a chance a number of plots will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. These sometimes sell for astronomical prices, but the shrewd land investor can multiply his initial outlay many times over by the end of the game - assuming they didn't make themselves broke and unable to DO anything with the land they greedily gobbled up - An easy trap to fall into.

After the land grants and auctions, each player has a turn to run around the surface of the planet (perhaps capturing the Mountain Wumpus and pinching his gold!), outfitting their plots of land with the stars of the game - The MULEs, MULEs are mechanical apparatus designed to farm, collect or mine the materials from each plot of land. The player may choose to harvest solar energy, farm food crops, mine for the Smithore (the raw material from which MULEs are constructed, or mine for the elusive Crystite. A very valuable luxury commodity.

Each commodity (except Crystite, which is a very unpredictable and volatile market) rises and falls in price throughout the game according to supply and demand.

FOOD - begins the game as a relatively inexpensive resource and grows very well on the river plains, adequately in regular plains and poorly in the mountain regions. Each round the players require a certain amount of food to be able to move around the map. Should there be a shortage for the player, the timer bar for the turn will be reduced, depending on how severe the shortage is.

ENERGY - also starts out cheaply and is required by each Mule (besides energy Mules) in order to function every single round. If a player has a shortage of energy, Non-Energy Mules will not work and the production for that plot will be wasted.

SMITHORE - is quite valuable and is the resource used to make MULES. Should the supply of Smithore dry up, no more Mules can be made and the price offered by the colony store will skyrocket. Beware though, if the store has to pay through the nose for it's Smithore, don't expect the Mules they make to be very cheap for a while either!

Crystite - ranging from quite valuable, to amazingly expensive, Crystite is unpredictable in location, production and price. It can be a gamble to go after, especially in the early rounds, but a favourable price can really set you up for the game.

Once all the player turns have been completed, the production phase begins. with each plot producing zero to eight units of whatever it is they were producing. Each round may be affected by a number of random elements, a few of which include: Sunspot Activity (Energy production increased), Acid Rain (which inexplicably INCREASES food production in the plots affected) or the dreaded planet quake which halves all mining output!

Once production is out of the way, the auction round begins, with players trying to stock up on any energy or food they need, or perhaps speculating on the Crystite or Smithore markets. The cunning player may decide to buy up all the Energy or food for them self, leaving their hapless opponents with shortages and problems in the next round! The game gives preference to players who are coming last, so the second placed player will always get buying preference over the first, so a cunning strategy is required to not get caught out.

Likewise, luck seems to flow with the lower ranked players and I have often gone shooting way into the lead after the first two rounds, only to end up with disaster after disaster occurring during the random events at the start of each player's turn (Sort of like "Chance" cards in Monopoly), while my opponents score free plots of land and other windfalls.

M*U*L*E* is not simply about production, buying and selling. It is about planning what you are going to do ahead of time, taking the odd risk and getting your opponent over a barrel. There is nothing like the joy of having a massive surplus of food or energy, while no one else in the colony thought to make any and auctioning them all off for astronomical prices!

At the end of the game, The Foundation lets you know how well your colony went and the winner is declared and stands proudly above his fellows.

M*U*L*E* is one of the many C64 games that has stood the test of time. Fan-Sites abound and there have been many attempts at clones over there years, none of which have measured up to the original's charm, freshness and overall playability. An all-time Multiplayer classic.

Recommended: Yes