Buy! Buy! Buy!
This is based on Avalon Hill's boardgame Acquire, a complex but strangely enjoyable experience that is set in the world of high finance. The computer version is a pretty faithful adaptation and although it's a little lacking in any kind of visual appeal, it remains quite fun if you can get together a small group of like-minded individuals. As is so often the case with financial simulators like Black Monday and Wall Street, the goal here is to make as much money as possible, but rather than trading in the usual stocks and shares, this one uses the hotel industry as its inspiration. The whole thing plays out in turn-based fashion, with up to seven players plus the computer snapping up promising hotel stocks in an attempt to gain controlling interest, which then allows you to start creating all-powerful chains. The trick to success is spotting the potential money spinners when the price is right and thanks to the inclusion of some random market shenanigans, it's quite a challenge to be successful, and this is where the fun comes in. When played solo against the computer, this is perhaps a little too dry to be of much interest for the average gamer, consisting as it does of seemingly endless reams of numbers and little else. However, when you play it in company, it proves to be quite a fun little experience, in the way of all good board games. Although there isn't much to keep your eyes glued to the screen, the buying and selling of stocks is a highly compelling affair and when it gets competitive, then it becomes a much more intense experience. Check it out then if you have some chums who are into this kind of thing, but solo players may want to look elsewhere.
