There is also an excellent, though old, Microprose game by the same name. You are a Venetian merchant prince, and you have to explore the world, trade goods, wage wars, and build stuff. You can then use hordes of gold you rake in to buy Senators (and use your political influence to reward your friends and punish your enemies) or Cardinals (and use your ecclesiastical influence to get a corrupt Venetian of your choosing eventually elected Pope). Occasionally bad things happen: nasty rumours, assasinations, and that pesky Black Plague. Not quite as detrimental to your GPA as the Civilization series, but still good for hours of solitary or play-by-mail (like I said, it's an old game) fun.