Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this comical business simulation game is set in a Shrek-like fairytale world with highly creative details. While kids as young as 10 can play this simulation, much of the sophisticated humor will be lost on them. Similarly, they will likely misunderstand the outlandish, unethical business practices used by goons (private contractors hired by your competition to take you down), which teens and adults will find so amusing. Some news tidbits from this fairytale world include mentions of polygamist communities and a Speakeasy. That said, the sim does a good job of teaching about supply and demand and leveraging money in a wacky world.
Families can talk about the outlandish things that happen while doing business in Onceuponia. How are advertising options similar to real business advertising and how are they different? What do you think about some of the shady business practices you see, like hiring goblins to hijack trucks and steal ingredients? What is the game lampooning? What did you learn about business from this game?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen
FAIRY GODMOTHER TYCOON, a PC game from Electronic Arts' Pogo.com, combines Shrek-type humor with the entrepreneurial play mechanics of games like Zoo Tycoon or Rollercoaster Tycoon to create a hilarious new business simulation.
The game stars a modern-day fairy godmother who has a potions business in the land of Onceuponia. But it isn't all "happily ever after" as shrewd and unprincipled rivals are trying to squeeze the poor lady out of business. Her solution: hire you to expand her fledgling potions stores into megastore monopolies. You'll need to be at the top of your game and have a few tricks up your sleeve.
As with most business simulation Tycoon games, you play through a series of progressively harder scenarios. This game starts off in the quaint town of Tutorialville where your goal is simply to expand fairy godmother's store to make $1000 in cash. By the time you reach the ninth village, you will be trying to force competitors out of business.
Gameplay is broken into two stages: the buying phase, where you purchase your potions ingredients and invest in marketing; and the selling phase, where you watch the peasants come to your store and see how much they spend.
Before you start buying, it's wise to check the news and "weather" for the day. The news consists of funny tidbits about the fairytale world, which may reveal the peasants' overall mood for spending. The "weather" is a forecast of what curses might appear that day. The latter is important to you because peasants buy potions to counteract curses. Armed with this knowledge, you can better predict which ingredients to stockpile and what prices to charge for your potions.
Marketing in this fairytale world is a tongue-in-cheek endeavor. While you can purchase flyers and junk mail, you can also hire unique helpers such as flying monkeys and goons. A favorite of our kid-testers was a magic carpet that places itself on your competitor's doorstep and redirects any peasant about to shop there to your store.
After you've finished your buying phase, you push the "Start Day" button and watch as peasants come out of their homes and hopefully into your store.
At first, it seems easy to sell potions; but soon you'll encounter cutthroat competitors. They will place their goons in front of your stores, and do things to steal your customers. To counteract your competition, you need to invest in spells such as the "Freeze the Goon," which literally puts a block of ice around a competitor's goon rendering him ineffective.
Fairy Godmother Tycoon earns a high rating because it's an effective business simulation set inside a highly creative world. The fairy tale characters that populate this world are familiar, but they grab our attention with their wildly unpredictable behavior. You'll find that building a potions empire is a highly entertaining business.
The game is downloadable at Pogo.com or comes in a boxed version at retail.
If you like Tycoon games, check out Fish Tycoon, another downloadable business simulation.
Rate It!
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| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual ContentOne reference to polygamist community. |
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Violence |
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Social BehaviorOutlandish business practices, but they are presented as satire. |
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CommercialismYou can earn Pogo points to be spent on the publisher's site. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoOne reference to a Speakeasy. |
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Educational ValueDoes a great job of teaching supply and demand, and the leveraging of money. |
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