Dawn of Discovery: The Harbor continues Ubisoft’s real time strategy series on the iPhone, albeit in a scaled down role. You take the helm as a 14th century harbor master who wants to enhance his career and manage incoming ships and trading, all the while trying to make as much money as possible. Being simplistic enough for newcomers may turn off series veterans at first, but everyone will have fun with the game.

The gameplay mechanics are simple – drag a ship to a dock and it will unload its goods. Once unloaded, that ship will request trade for other goods, of which you have to obtain from multiple ships docked in your harbor. Over the game’s four stages, you’ll see trading of bread, wood, gems, guns, almonds, and a few others. As you progress, more small and large docks will unlock to add complexity as you juggle incoming ships queuing outside your harbor. The goal for each stage is reach a certain level of income before time runs out. Balancing large and small ships with various goods and captains is key. Achievements are available for hitting enough target and expert scores as well as other in-game tasks.

It shouldn’t take you too long to get through Dawn of Discovery: The Harbor, unless you’re one of those people who can’t manage to walk and chew gum at the same time. Each stage is a few short minutes with up to 10 stages in each area, so you can conceivably play through the whole game in a little over an hour if you really wanted. There is an endless mode unlocked after completing each of the four areas, so you can go back and replay any portion of the game you want if you want.

While I enjoyed playing Dawn of Discovery: The Harbor, once I finished the game, I didn’t really have any desire to go back. However, for $2.99, you definitely get enough here to have fun for a while. If you’re a fan of the series or games like Flight Control, give this one a try.

[A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes.]