Personal Computer News


If I Had A Million

Author: Jim Ballard
Publisher: Phoenix
Machine: Dragon 32

 
Published in Personal Computer News #068

Lust For Lucre

Lust For Lucre

They say it's hardest to make that first million and from then on, the going gets easier. Phoenix's latest offering is a mixture of that old faithful, Monopoly, and business strategy game.

Objectives

Your first task is to bankrupt the other players, and make £20,000. If you succeed, you'll be given a running code for the adventures stage plus a loan of £1 million.

You've then got six months to convert the loan into £5 million to win.

If I Had A Million

In Play

The version of Monopoly is reasonable, but as nearly all of the memory appears to be used by the program, the graphics are very limited. You get a basic colour display of where you landed and little else. There's no overview of who has what; it may be best to dig out the board to keep track.

The Dragon only keeps track of the score, and there is no option for it to join in the play. As the game progresses, a leader should emerge - although it took me approaching five hours to reach the magic £20,000. He or she will be given clues to the second stage.

If I Had A Million

Once you've struggled through stage one, the next part (the adventure) is far more enjoyable, but for one player only.

Your £1 million has to be invested, yet you get no interest just leaving it in the bank. A variety of opportunities are offered, ranging from backing films, shows and housing projects to investing in new toys, Easter Eggs and software. You also have a chance to pay the stock market, and the only limit is one transaction per day and two investments a week.

Rather annoyingly, you have to save the game halfway through, and then load up the second part (which is actually the other three months of your time limit).

There were one or two other little niggles with the program: for example, you couldn't quit at an auction, you had to continue bidding until you won. Also I got fined not once but twice, for trying to import drugs when I hadn't.

Verdict

If you can put up with part one, you should enjoy the adventure. If you're a would-be Arthur Daley looking for that nice little earner, have a go.

Jim Ballard

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