The independent developer formation 4kids games has released their initial title on Xbox LIVE Indie Games. Ancient Trader is a simple, easy entry strategy game suitable for all ages, which originally came to life as a board-game design.

The game takes you and up to 4 players on a journey of discovery in uncharted oceans, with wealthy ports awaiting discovery and mythical sea monsters roaming the waters, hunting for prey. Your goal in the game is to discover new opportunities for trade, upgrade your ship and weapons and challenge the monsters and competing traders in simple battles with stylized card mini-games.

You can play on 9 pre-defined maps on three different difficulties or create random new maps with different parameters and set-up conditions for your single or multi-player games. Besides its easy-to-learn, pick-up and play strategic tabletop appeal, the main attraction of Ancient Trader is the beautiful and distinctive visual presentation of the game. The whole artwork of the game is hand-crafted, stylized to resemble the copper-stitch style of old maps and pictures from the late middle-ages. The players are immersed into the atmosphere of great expeditions into the unknown seas and back to times when the empty spots on the maps were believed to be inhabited by mystical monsters and ancient guardians.

Ancient Trader is available now on Xbox Live Marketplace for 240 Microsoft Points.