That’s the premise behind a new game from the Wellcome Collection. The new Flash-based game puts you in control of a merchant ship in the Chinese Pearl Delta. You move from port to port buying up opium and, in turn, trading it for Britain’s favourite narcotic…tea.

Called High Tea, the game supports the Wellcome’s current exhibition High Society, a look at the relationship between humans and mind-altering substances over the centuries. The exhibition has reportedly received record numbers of visitors, thanks to favourable reviews. In fact, I think I’m the only person in London who felt understimulated by it. But you should go and make up your own mind before it closes in a couple of weeks.

Anyhow, you can play the game from the comfort of your own home. Preferably with a cup of Ceylon steaming away beside you. It’s all a bit baffling at first, with menus and numbers flying around like a modern trading floor…but you’ll get the idea with a bit of practice.