Cartels And Cutthroats was a refreshing change of theme when it cam along. So much of the emphasis in games produced in the early to mid 80's was on science fiction and historical reenactments (ala the Avalon Hill board games of the previous generation). It was nice to see a game that was based on "real world" economics that was relatively fast and easy to play, yet provided some challenging competition, even with the computer opponents.
Other games, notably the Sims world games, Industry Giant, and perhaps a few games I'm not aware of, have taken the business theme to a much higher level graphically, but there was something to be admired in the relatively simple format of Cartels and Cutthroats.
Cartels And Cutthroats was a refreshing change of theme when it cam along. So much of the emphasis in games produced in the early to mid 80's was on science fiction and historical reenactments (ala the Avalon Hill board games of the previous generation). It was nice to see a game that was based on "real world" economics that was relatively fast and easy to play, yet provided some challenging competition, even with the computer opponents.
Other games, notably the Sims world games, Industry Giant, and perhaps a few games I'm not aware of, have taken the business theme to a much higher level graphically, but there was something to be admired in the relatively simple format of Cartels and Cutthroats. It was economic strategy
at its most basic level, similar in many ways to the Lemonade Stand game, but with more complexities and occasional labor issues to deal with. To that end, Cartels and Cutthroats was a wonderful introduction to real world business management. And I carry a lot of the lessons I learned there on into my real life business career.
For variety, you could pick ROM a number of products to produce, including beer, computers and so on, which made the strategy a little different each time. Trying to find the right mix of budgeting for R&D, advertising, materials and such can be quite a challenge. I discovered in later games of the same ilk that it was almost overwhelming to work through budgets and the complicated mazes the games presented. I found myself coming back to the old days and the simple interface Cartels and Cutthroats presented.
Although C&C allowed you to play with several real players, I only tried it a few times and found that the game slowed to an almost unbearable pace. C&C was much better enjoyed with a beer or two and a couple of hours of solitude.
All in all, the SSI games of the time were the best simulation type games available. In there own way, I think they still hold up to a high level of play. Of course today's players are used to the unbelievably realistic graphical interfaces and sounds that make C& C and the other old SSI games appear primitive. But with a little imagination, the excitement was there.
