Trader is in the tradition of adventure/strategy games that spin out a picaresque and picturesque saga in a single sitting. By way of comparison, think of it as Seven Cities of Gold or Pirates, but a little shorter. Or, more recently, it's like the sci-fi space operettas Strange Adventures in Infinite Space or Flotilla, but wind-powered and sepia-toned.

You move a little sailing ship around a fogged-in map, searching for ports, which you then use to make money by trading tea, spices, and fruit. While plying the seas, you'll run into monsters and enemy ships that you can fight with a simple game of matching cards that represent weapons. As you earn money, you spend it to upgrade your ship so it can move faster, carry more cargo, and slap down more powerful cards in battle. It's all very simple and above-board.

Eventually, you'll discover the locations of three artifacts. Buy these - and buy them quickly, because they get more expensive as the other players also buy them - to reveal an ancient guardian. Track him down and beat him in battle to win the game.