The first few times I started the game, I found myself in full-screen mode without any way to change to other windows. You might want to make one change to the standard install before you begin game play.

I declined that option since I am not running KDE, but I did end up with a desktop shortcut icon for FreeCol.

I said sure, and it churned away again, asking one more question about adding an entry to the K-menu. The installer verified I wanted an English language version, asked me to verify my acceptance of the terms of the (GPL) license, and asked if it would be OK to install in a freecol subdirectory under my home directory. To try it out, I selected the platform-independent installer from the options on the FreeCol download page and executed it with the command java -jar freecol-0.5.1-installer.jar. Single-player games can last for hours, depending on the size of the map being played, the level of difficulty, and the conditions for victory. It’s not all about just rolling the dice and seeing who kills and who gets killed, though there is that element to the game. I’m a newbie at colonization in general, but I find the game to be a more advanced form of Risk. Where to land, what to do when you get there, whether to plant crops or build a fort, whether to attack your neighbors when you meet them, or just peacefully coexist, building a vibrant society that produces greater wealth and territory - those are the things you’ll be trying to do while making the decisions required during each turn in FreeCol. It is certainly playable, albeit with a few rough edges here and there and a few missing pieces. But even this far short of a 1.0 release, it is coming along nicely enough to have earned it the designation of Project of the Month.

FreeCol is a free-as-in-free-software Java-based clone of Sid Meier’s Colonization that’s currently at the 0.5.3 release. Colonizing a new world is not a trivial task, even when you’re doing it in a clone of a famous game.

Download freecol