Free Enterprise is the best business simulation game I have yet to play. Other business simulations fall into the trap of not allowing your choice in what enterprise you’re which to enter but Free Enterprise puts you in the driver’s seat complete. You decide what products to manufacture, who to hire, what equipment they use, everything! This micro-management is not so great however that it becomes tedious. Generally you will start by manufacturing one product and expand to more complex products based on the products you have.
Free Enterprise is the best business simulation game I have yet to play. Other business simulations fall into the trap of not allowing your choice in what enterprise you’re which to enter but Free Enterprise puts you in the driver’s seat complete. You decide what products to manufacture, who to hire, what equipment they use, everything! This micro-management is not so great however that it becomes tedious. Generally you will start by manufacturing one product and expand to more complex products based on the products you have.
The various levels of difficulty in the game are determined by the manner in which your receive your capital which gives the game a more realistic feel, rather than artificially inflating the difficulty in harder levels,
or dumping down the game in easier levels. No matter how your company is financed your still need to come up with a winning strategy by making the decisions yourself. And if you can't make the decisions, get some consultants to make them for your. Consultants can give you a good idea of your company’s standings and the profitability of your current endeavors.
The one thing that the game lacks is variety. It is very much the same game no matter how you proceed. This I feel is a downfall as it does not offer you the variety that would keep you coming back. Free Enterprise is very much the kind of game that you pick up, get addicted to for a short time and then stop playing it, and never play it again as it gets to the point where the game has nothing more to offer you.
Be warned! If you are not into business and business simulators then you will probably be bored to tears before you get the opportunity to really get into Free Enterprise.
All in all though I have yet to see a game that has the same depth and style as Free Enterprise, as boring as it can be at some times. I have no doubt that if you have a zest for business then Free Enterprise will offer you more than most other games.
All in all I give this game a 6/10, but not because it is a poor game but I believe that business simulators potentially have so much more to offer than is currently on the market, and all these years later, Free Enterprise still represents the state of the art.
