Good trading by taking this route:

Goods - Routes:

Cloth - London -> Barcelona
Beer - Barcelona -> Algier
Silk or brandy - Algier -> Edinburgh
Empty - Edinburgh -> London

1: Buy a bigger ship from your earnings
2: Invest in Merchant Adventurer's Guild
3: Start a factory near good materials:

Factory - City:

Brandy - Le Havre
Weaver - London, Edinburgh or Antwerpen

15 Quests:

1. Introduction

Visit tavern (except Barcelona & London) to meet messenger of the english crown, who wants to go to Barcelona to invite the spanish king to Elisabeth's crowning. You'll have to wait 10 days in Barcelona and back in London you're invited to meet her.

2. Transport

Afterwards someone will offer you to deliver goods to Le Havre and Barcelona. In a tavern speak to Renata de la Campolonga and return to your boat. Go for 300 pounds to Bayonne where a spanish man will pay 500 pounds to take him and the load to Barcelona. Then he wants you to take him and some friends to Scotland. Sell all goods to make enough room and pretend to take him there. But in reality you will deliver your 'prisoners' to justice in London.

3. Spionage in Schottland

Stop in London at 15.12.1560 to meet Sir Cecil and take him to Edinburgh. In the tavern ask about McFarley. In the evening meet Bianca Le Normand and return to your boat. In the town hall meet a writer who suspects the docks of O'Shaugenessy. In the dungeons (save game) bail out the prisoner. Go back to Bianca Le Normand and return to London. Bring Sir Cecil to Edingburgh, visit the tavern twice and return to London and Bayonne.

4. Elisabeth has the pocks

Go in 1563 to a tavern (except London, Algier, Bayonne) and listen to the owner. Don't let the clamp merchant poison the queen. Go to Bayonne and meet Monsieur Coupe-les-Oz who knows a doctor in Lissabon. Listen to the tavern owner over there, visit the doctor and take him to Elisabeth.

5. The switch

In 1566 meet the queen and go to the bank in Barcelona. Go in on offer, but visit the queen first, who swaps it for false money and continue to La Coruna to meet the bishop.

6. Captain Hawkins

In 01.09.1568 till the end of the year you'll meet capt. Hawkins after leaving the harbour of Cadiz, Lissabon, La Coruna and Bayonne. He swims in the water after meeting spanish pirates. Take news to London and return. Go to Barcelona and defeat the pirates on your way to London.

7. Mercator's Plate

In 1569 meet the merchant in Lissabon and Sir Cecil in Villa Arborgrey. Go to Barcelona, rebuilt your ship in La Rochelle and meet Francois in the tavern twice in 10 days. Go to Algiers and the tavern in Barcelona to meet Mauro. Don't let your adjudant mislead you and go to London.

8. The conspiracy

In begin of 1570 meet in the (english, french or dutch) harbour the queen's ship. Go to the tavern in Cardiz, bail out the spy in the dungeons of La Coruna for 3000 pound and return. Wait a day, equip your ship, visit the tavern and fight Bailey's ship. Take the prisoner to London, but take on his offer and bring him to Algiers. Hijack the ship and return to London.

9. Liberation of Briel

In february 1572 (except London) Sir William asks you to go to London. Escort his men to Dover, meet Captain de la Marck and accept his offer. Go to France, the Netherlands and Antwerpen, but a storm takes you to Briel. Defeat the spanish ship and return to London. Go to Portsmouth, gather your fleet and meet capt. de la Marck in town hall. In Calais meet the spanish fleet and attack the back one by one. Two transporters flee, which can not be captured. Speak with the dikemaster, open the 'dike' door and the spanish must flee.

10. The attack on La Rochelle

In the years 1572 and 1573 visit a harbour in London, Antwerpen or Hamburg and you''ll be asked to meet a royal informant in the tavern of Le Havre. Lord Walsingham wants you to deliver gunpowder from London to La Rochelle. The merchant is behind the Privy Council. You''ll have to fight two Spanish ships on your way. Return to London.

11. Frobisher's Expedition

In 1576 you must find the explorer Sir Martin Frobisher. In Edinburgh the dock master points you to a mapmaker, who has given Sir Martin a uncorrect map. In the dungeon bail out the quilty servant. Take the mapmaker along and through the false northwest passage you'll find sir
Martin in an iglo. You must force him to come with you to London.

12. The invasion at Smerwick

In 1579 must go to La Coruna where a bar owner sets up a meeting with Jorge, who tells you the fleet already left. At Smerwick the enemy fleet is twice as large. Send a few men to the enemy shore and report to London. Return with the Admiral's fleet and the invaders have taken a castle.
Suggest the Salami tactic and join the attack.

13. The return of the golden hind

In juny or july 1580 meet Francis Drake after leaving the harbour Cadiz, Lissabon, La Coruna or Bayonne. Tow his ship the Pelican to La Coruna. Empty your ship and take on Drake's second order to bring raw materials to the diamant maker in Antwerpen and 6 days later take the finished products to Le Havre. return to London with Drake.

14. The Throckmorton conspiracy

In january-july 1583 London Lord Walsingham wants you to find the frenchman Henry Fagot. Bail out Louis Pellation in a dungeon of Bayonne and take him to La Coruna. Take Fagot to Bayonne and to London.

15. The Bawington complot

Only possible if you have a very possitive image with Spain. After a visit to the lord mayor go to Le Havre to meet Sir Morgan. Take his cassette to Mr. Bawington in Bayonne, but open it on your way there to find 10.000 gold and a letter to Maria Stuart. Take Mr. Bawington and the gold to London and the war with Spain begins.

Bug report:

Version 1.00 can't be solved: quest 8 misses a person. It isn't stable under Win95 and in total Dos mode with a lot of Smartdrive the loading doesn't take too long. After more than 4 pages of save games the game crashes. Press Alt + X to return to the loading screen after a mistake.

Piracy:

In the early stages of the game buy a Fregat and sink a lot of Spanish ships to get in favour of the queen, who hands you aan official letter in 1575. After 100.000 pound on your account trading with multiple ships is better.

Cheating:

When hired by the Privy Council, take all ships to the docks and fire all sailors. Go to the Privy Council and a messenger gives you 20.000 pound thinking all your ships have been sunk