This game is one of the best business simulation out there. It lets you build a business from ground up, buy others business and get married. When running the business the game allows you to personally control what is produced: this gives you the most profit from my experience. IF you don't want to micromanage then you can hire some one to run the business, while you do something else. The family aspect lets you have kids and even marry a wealth NPC. The only down side is the age of the game but once you get past it you will have hours of fun.

Europa 1404: The Guild is an interesting game set in an interesting period in European history, when the feudal order was breaking down and the seeds of capitalism were being sown as the middle classes became more prominent. In the game the player is cast as an ambitious young craftsman and/or merchant making his/her way in this world gaining riches and and political clout. The game allows the player to choose their own victory conditions, such as gaining wealth or climbing the social scale as well as having a free or sandbox mode where you can do what you want. Although manufacture and trade takes up a lot o your time, you can also indulge in local politics, fight duels, smear your rivals' reputations and get married and start a family, who will inherit the business when your first character dies. Alternatively you can pursue a career in the church or become a criminal.

The game is quite old, I first bought in on CD about 7 or 8 years ago, but retains its interest. There are still a few minor bugs despite patching, but nothing that should ruin your game.

Interesting premise, flawed execution. Most jobs consist of repetitive micromanagement. Yet the basic idea is so intriguing that despite its downsides, the game still works.

The Guild Gold is a great sandbox game. If your a fan of the guild 2 then this is a must have to get a feel of how original this game was when it came out. The interface is easy to use and control. Nothing like building your own small empire and later upgrading it for more profit.

I ended up getting this along with the Guild collection. I enjoy playing older games to see what the differences are between versions. It's a fun little rts/simulation game. A little dated now, but if you want a slightly less complex version the Guild 2 then go ahead and give it a try. But I'll be sticking with Guild II.

Europa 1400 The Guild is a good game. Its about running bussiness in 15th century. You can choose one (and after some time even more) of many professions like mason, alchemist or even bandit. The gameplay is very complex, but not as complex as The Guild 2. Anyway, I recommend buying.

This is a fantastic game. The complexity is amazing, and though the graphics are slightly dated, it's incredibly fun. The Guild 2 - Renaissance is probably a better buy in my opinion, but if you get the bundle or want the original it's great.

In Europa 1400, players will be charged with creating a medieval dynasty from the ground up and managing their guild as it slowly grows through hard work and perseverance in the face of stiff competition. Exactly what role you'll take on in society and how you choose to go about advancing their house is completely up to you. You can choose to be an upstanding citizen, run for public office, craft and sell your own wares, and stake out a healthy and honest living; or you can engage in thievery, conduct espionage, and cheat, maim, or bribe your way to the top. It's fun to have the option to play one extreme or the other, and players can also stick to the middle road if they like.

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The classic Guild experience. This includes the original guild and it's expansion pack.

This game immediately captured me, the business aspects blend well with the "Sims" style game play and create a certain kind of magic.

The visuals are quite dated, but that is to be expected. There were a few bugs but the majority have been fixed.

I gave it 4 stars becasue it is a little hard to understand at first, and might come off as too complicated. That said, this is an excellent game, especially if you have a lower end machine and don't want to miss out on a great sim.

Buy it.

While most people will gravitate to the sequel, do not make the mistake of overlooking the first game in the Guild series. In its Gold version it is more polished and focused and with fewer bugs that Guild 2 and its iterations. Graphics are simple but effective and the game is somewhat easier to get into than the sequels. The uniqueness of being a late medieval SIMS/RPG style of game where you take your character or dynasty to try and forge a career and life has somewhat been distilled what with other games appearing, but its still a blast to play. A steep learning curve is about the only drawback, but if you put in the time, you'll be richly rewarded.

This is an old game but is very very impressive mix of simulation & strategy. Just to see your economic empire grow through generations is highly satisfying. Hell lot of fun, this game is.

A unique game at the time it released, and the beginning of a unique series. It's like a Sims game, but your goal really is to build up your dynasty to become a true power. The world is not as peaceful as a Sims game. You have to do whatever necessary to fence off your rival family, even the darker path. However, that makes the game fun, and gives a game a lot of replayability.

The original "gold" that began the greatness that is the Guild series. The original will always hold a special place in my heart, but of course the sequel is much of an improvement, and much better. This isn't because the first is bad, it's just because the second is just so darn great! Many improvements were made aside from the graphics overhaul, but I just can't get over how great this one was! Definitely a great asset to any gamer's collection, and well worth the time you'll put into it! =]

If you're a fan of economy-based video games, The Guild is without a doubt one of the best out there. Here, you can choose from about a dozen unique professions and begin a campaign to become the most powerful man or woman in the city. Some major pros about this game include the variety of locations to choose from, the insane customization of difficulty, and the great variety of missions you can tackle, then after completing you can choose a more difficult mission or free-play. Or just free-play from the very start. And once your character dies, don't fret! You may continue on with your heir! All of these add up and create a very, very addicting game, well...up until a point.

Despite everything great about Europa 1400, it does has its flaws. The one that stood out to me the most was the combat. When your trade carts are halted, or your mercenaries engage a trade cart, it can be every irritating to order your men around. The combat scenarios are at best, bearable. My final issue with The Guild is the likeness of most professions. Although each craft has its own unique features, most of what you'll be doing is producing products and bringing them to market to sell. The repetitiveness of your daily routine no matter which path you choose may cause you to get bored with every profession before you get a chance to try them all. For me personally, I was burnt after about 20-25 hours of gameplay and only trying my hand at two crafts, despite how much I enjoyed the game when I first began playing.

Overall, if you enjoy medieval economy-style games, Europa 1400: The Guild is worth picking up. If this is a genre you're new to and are skeptical of, I'd recommend waiting for a gaming drought or until it goes on sale. Oh, and this not a Sims look-a-like although you may encounter some similar elements. For the most part, it really is its own genre.

The Guild Gold includes the first game in this venerable series plus all the expansion packs. If you are new of the series, this game is a simulation of a dynasty trying to emerge as an economic power in the Middle Age. You play the game in real-time, and you are always pressed to make sounding decisions to maintain and improve your power. Being the game centered on a dynasty, you must concede that your main character will die and you have to prepare your heir well. The main rules are somewhat simplistic but the entertainment value – considering the cost of the game – is very high. Considering the many options you have in selecting your character and political and religious affiliation, you can even replay the games many times. Highly recommended.

When this game came out, I didn't think much about it. I read a review in a local magazine about it and it looked only partially interesting at that time. The graphics were poor, even for the time, and knowing about Jowood (a publisher now defunct and under Nordic games) and their distinct approach towards the overall quality of the games made me hesitate. But the review was good and the games innovation factor was hard to miss. So I gave it a go. And played it ever since, sinking in probably more hours than I can imagine. Easily one of the better purchases in my life. I lost the discs some time ago, but the digital versions are just as good.

Now for a bit of info about The Guild: in essence, you manage your workshop from the start of the game (there are much professions to choose from, and even include thieves and robbers) and try to gain money through fair (or unfair) trading. For an average game, that's mostly what you do - you arrange or acquire cheap resources for your workshops, make something valuable out of them, and then sell them for as much as you can get. You earn profit from it, and can either invest it in the expansion of your manufacturing capabilities (you can earn a new profession, buy a smithy and get cheap byproducts for your woodworks that way), or you can try to get into politics (no kidding!) and bribe, befriend or threaten your way into the town hall. Once there, you need keep on pushing forward and try to get as high on the political ladder as you can. as in real life, underhanded methods work best. ;)

Following your dreams, you mustn't forget that in the game, as time goes by, your main character will age and eventually die. Because of this, you must arrange for a marriage and get some offspring to continue your dynasty. Eventually, as you pass on your fortune and talents, your main character will go to rest knowing that a sun or a daughter can continue the legacy, expand the dynasty, and finally get revenge from those [enter a pejorative here] [enter family name here] for throwing stink bombs at your house many years back.

Kind of a mix between a RTS and The Sims. While an older game, it was pretty entertaining and moderatly challenging later in the game.

GG is totally dope, awesome, and so much fun. At least until the point when you've spent nearly weeks and weeks of time building up your "virtual" sim life (we both have really demanding real-world jobs, so gaming is reserved mainly for the weekends, or downtime in the evenings), and then your character "dies"...and even with an heir, your bank and stuff stays the same, but ya gotta then build back up your political standing. Point being, fun, fun, and more fun. We've had quite a few "interesting" convo's about what as my hubby says "J I think the dude should be doing such and such.." and I just shoot back "Babe my character ain't a dude, she a very pretty princess, and I want her to be an awesome priest" He just says that's fine, so typical of such a great man. Cheers! J & J

This is a good strategy game that really makes you think. It's not really like the Sims, I just can't find a proper genre to tag this game. You could call it an amalgamation of strategy, business and life simulation, and a very small touch of RPG.

I had the original CD and am happy to invest this small amount for the expansion as well. I am pretty happy with the expansion, since it gives me additional professions and a huge city to expand my dynasty.

There was no manual in the Gold Edition download, but the tutorial more than makes up for it. But, if you really do need one, I found out from the Jowood forums that there's a manual over at http://files.aspyr.com/support/Guild%20Gold.pdf

While quite dated, this game is simple and light enough to while an afternoon. Definately worth the asking price if you are interested in a medieval "The Sims"-forerunner. Imagine The Sims expansion "Open for Business" and you will not be far from The Guild

The simplest way to describe the Guild is to call it The Sims in the medieval era. This is not quite accurate as The Guild has a far more robust economic engine, but lacks the great complexity of social interaction.

The greatest focus of The Guild is on your dynasties financial and political success. Starting as a middle class no name with his little ramshackle shop you left with the open ended task of prospering and overcoming the rival dynasties. The game gives you a wide array of options; from good honest hard work, to political intrigue, to play old back ally thuggery. With over a dozen professions to choose from, all of which play a little differently, some very differently, its easy to get your play hours out of The Guild.

Sadly the personal interaction is very limited. Its all focused around expanding your political success in elections. Other characters lack a sense of personality so that they feel like just another set of numbers on your balance books.

Disappointingly the multi-player is FUBAR to the point were it's not even worth trying. Dropped games are the rule, rather then exception.

A decent choice for a economy centered life sim against a medieval backdrop.