CV Fortune Builder.
Just got this game Monday.
I was lucky to get a head start on it: rather than having to figure it all out (as with Lord of the Dungeon), there are instructions right here at DP.
Even so, it takes some getting used to.
The game can only be described as a "Sim-Style" game- from 1984. Although other simulations, like Utopia for the Intellivision and Lemonade Stand for the Apple, existed, "Sim" is what these games are known as.
Essentially, it is an economic simulation. You start with a large undeveloped area, and build it up. The goal is to reach $250,000,000 by the end of five years.
What makes this game so fascinating, especially for 1984, is the level of complexity it has. You don't just build and build, you must consider the effects one property has on another. Building an arcade right on top of a mall will cause one to help the other, but building an oil rig near a marina is a sure-fire way of losing tourist business.
There are also the bulletins. These can help or harm you: a popular miniseries about gambling will let your casinos pull in more money, but a Bigfoot scare can stomp business at your ski lodges. Government actions, fads, angry parent groups...it's random.
Since higher skill levels start off with less money, you have no choice but to take out loans. Since interest exists and it fluctuates wildly, this can not only cut into your profits, but can exceed them- causing you to lose net worth. AND raising the principal on which the interest is based, if you run out of cash.
Some things, like roads and bridges, are necessary, but cut into your cash AND net worth, because such are deeded to the state. Therefore, in higher skill levels, you should avoid any unnecessary building.
Two player options are a riot. There are obvious ways to sabotage your opponent's efforts. The only problem here is a visual one: The properties for both players look identical; not even the color is different. Once the screen gets crowded, you need near-photographic memory to keep track of things. An option like in War Room, where a push of the button allows you only to see particular things (in this case, your own properties) would have been good- or, better yet, use different colors.
This is a game quite different from any other CV game, except maybe for It's Only Rock `N Roll. If you like Sim-games, or Monopoly, you'd like this one.
Expect a full review soon.
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