Mule is an excellent trading and business game which relies more on 
strategy than on skill.  Mule is broken down to three options: Beginner, 
Standard, and Tournament.  Each level changes the game play by adding 
new businesses and challenges.

     The game centers on your ability to set up a colony, develop it 
through trading, and prosper.  Sounds easy enough.....

     The game begins after you choose your species and color.  The color 
is up to you but the species is important.  As you move through all of 
the species, it will give you their strenghts and weaknesses. Your first 
choice is usually to pick the humanoid, out of pride I guess.  But the 
computer species IS the most efficient!  Not saying that you can't win 
with any other species but your chances are greater if you stoop low and 
choose the computer species.

     Then you are on the planet, for all to colonize, yes you all sort 
of should work as a team because the whole colony will be rated by the 
Federation and if you don't meet up to their standards, then they leave 
you there to die. But I much prefer to play cut throat style, it's more 
fun!

     You learn that farming plots (fork) works better in the river 
valley; the energy plots (satellite) produce efficiently on the flat 
plains; and the Smithore mining plots (shovel) work best in the 
mountains.  Hardships do keep you humble though, planetquakes, pest 
troubles , meteorites, and the beloved pirates.  But there are 
windfalls, so don't get discouraged.   First you get a mule, then load 
it up with the plot that you want, and place it dead center on the house 
and the plot will be set. Now run back to the store and gamble in the 
pub.  I like to grab up all the triple mountain range plots since they 
yield the best smithore.  This is where strategy is crucial; you must 
learn that all of your own plots co-exist.  The smithore plots give you 
the money to buy all your needs but, the energy plots are what fuels the 
smithore mines, and all plots need food.  But the store has the 
necessities that you need (food & energy) but their quantities are 
limited so keep a constant watch on them.  As I said before, I win by 
snatching up all of the triple mountain ranges first, this yields big 
money to buy food and energy from the store.  But be careful as this 
will quickly deplete the store's surplus and that's trouble!  But my 
strategy won't work if you don't plan wisely.  Put an energy plot in the 
mountains if you are in dire need of energy, and the same goes for food; 
because even though they won't yield surplus, they will at least give 
you enough to work with.  Also be sure to grab a food plot in the river 
valley, for this will be your major food supply, but it won't be your 
only food supply.

     The beginning of the game is so crucial because it is tough to come 
back from a big deficit, just ask Mr. Reagan!  No seriously, once the 
game is half over, you can usually determine who will win, unless first 
and second place owners are close.  So use shrewd judgment.

     The beginner level only gives you six months to work with.  A month 
is a full turn.  So the beginner level is where you learn.  Know how 
your computer opponents think, they are very crafty!   They will buy up 
surplus goods leaving you with none.  And they also always get the first 
bids on any auctions for surplus goods.  So be alert as to what they are 
doing as well as yourself.  The beg. level consists of just: Farming, 
Energy, and Smithore.  At the end of the auctions, you will all march 
onto the screen and display the results for the month.  The one on top 
is first and the one on the bottom is the last.  Also, be aware of the 
base value for the items.  The first month is already set at the base 
values so take note.  For example:  smithore base price is $50.00 so if 
you sell your s.o. for more than $50 it is profitable.  You see, one 
unit of s.o. is worth 50 units of goods so if you sell it for less than 
$50 you will be losing on the final rating but if you sell it for more 
than $50, you make a profit.  Because land, goods and money is all added 
up to get your final rating.  So be wise as to what the base prices are 
and don't forget them because they will fluctuate due to supply and 
demand.

     For an added bonus; while you are setting your plot, if you see a 
little white dot appear in a mountain, run for it.  When you get on top 
of the spot press your button.  If you do it correctly, you will catch 
the cave beast or whatever it calls itself.  Any way it gives you it's 
treasure chest to let it go again.

     In the Standard level (12 months long), things begin to get 
interesting. Land auctions are the newest thing.  This allows you to 
pick up valuable land, but just make sure that the computer doesn't bid 
you up too high.  The mountain ranges are worth the most and thus are 
worth fighting for, but if you desperately need energy, then flat plains 
would be worth the fight.  What I'm trying to say is that the value of 
the land is relative to how bad you really need it!  If you already have 
two river valley plots then a third would be a fruitless expenditure!  
But it doesn't hurt to bid up the computer, he's a sucker for high bids, 
BUT he may drop quickly sticking you with the incredibly high bid so be 
on the defensive!!!

     The Tournament level (also 12 months long), is where things get 
intense! You now have little time to chose your plot.  Auctions go very 
quickly, and hardships seem to come to you more often.  This level adds 
a new element to mine for (Crystite).  But with it comes more work.  You 
must first go to the room marked "ASSAY", it will tell you to get a soil 
sample and return.  Just go out to an unsettled plot, press the button 
and you have the sample.  Now return to the "ASSAY" and they will tell 
you if the plot has any Crystite in it.  I usually let the computer do 
the work for me as each sample outcome is displayed to all. Then if the 
computer locates a plot with a high level of Crystite, steal it the next 
month that you colonize.  Meteorites usually deposit good amounts of 
Crystite.  Crystite is an expensive commodity but just remember that you 
need food and energy too!  My highest score is 26,400 on standard level 
and 32,000 something on the tournment level.  The more times you play 
the level, the easier it will become because you will learn how the 
computer thinks and you can work around him, efficiently too.  By this I 
mean sometimes you have to take a loss to get a substantial gain.  
Example:  If the store is out of energy and all the computer opponents 
are too, but you sit high with a surplus of 20 energy, it IS wiser to 
hold on to it rather than sell it.  This is tough because they will 
offer you 100+ for a unit of energy when they have none but as I say 
hold out!  Because next month they will have NO energy to mine so they 
will have no money since the mining plots are not producing.  So, they 
will convert most of their other plots to energy in an attempt to get a 
surplus of
energy.  In doing this they will obviously not have any mining or little 
of it, so now they will have no income for the following month, which 
compounds to their problems by lowering their productivity and dropping 
their score.  All this is going on as you prosper, so you gain a 
substantial lead, which usually lasts easily to the end of the game.  So 
you see how much more valuable holding out can be?

     In the standard and tournament level you can sell your own land.  
But this is hardly ever done by anyone because the plot is always or 
almost always worth more than anyone is willing to bid for it.  Plus 
make sure that you set the mule exactly on top of the house in your 
plantation when you press your button to set the plantation or else the 
mule will run free.  This is a gross waste of time and money, something 
no one can afford!  Also, I don't know why, but on the last month before 
the game ends; 6 for beg. level and 12 for the other two,
 DO NOT sell any of your surplus stuff, no matter what the store is 
offering you for it.  It just seems to be more profitable to hold on to 
everything in that last month, I guess it is to impress the Federation 
as they arrive.  You will instantly know who won and also how good your 
colony did when they line up for the summary in the last month.  The 
winner will be huge and elongated if the colony was a success but he 
will appear normal if the colony is a flop. What usually breaks a colony 
as a whole is the appearance of the pirates who steal anything valuable 
that isn't nailed down.  This really burns but it is the major hard ship 
of the game.  Just pray that they don't visit you a second time or else 
you can bet that your colony will be a flop.