The town's inhabitants pay taxes to the player or can be sent to gather resources instead. Upon registering, players are given control of a small town. The game can be played for short periods of time building and researching takes place in real time so the player can return at a later point and assign the town's inhabitants new tasks. The aim of the game is to expand the town which is controlled by the player, to gather resources and conquer or placate other players. It has also been compared to the critically acclaimed Travian series created by Travian Games GmbH. Ikariam has been compared to the Civilization series created by Sid Meier. Ikariam has received generally positive reviews. The game is set in the era of classical Greece in an archipelago, with players being made ruler of a small town, which they must expand and lead. Ikariam is a browser based massively multiplayer online game of the strategy genre produced and maintained by Gameforge AG.
