Genre: Business Simulation
Original Publisher: Incentive Software
Budget Publisher: Ricochet
Year: 1987
System: Amstrad CPC
Millionaire is a business simulation game that places the player in the shoes of an aspiring software entrepreneur. Starting with £500 and a newly written program, your mission is to build a successful software empire and reach the coveted millionaire status.
Each in-game month offers strategic choices: you can write new programs, convert software for other platforms, attempt to sell to retailers, or take a risky shortcut by dealing with “Honest Harry,” a shady contact offering cheap programs that may have legal consequences. There’s also the possibility to take out loans—with steep monthly interest—or exit the game by selling your company, triggering a final performance rating.
The game presents monthly financial summaries, graphical upgrades to your office as your wealth grows, and fluctuating cassette sales. You’re given five unique promotional ideas to boost sales—but each can be used only once, and some come with a cost. News bulletins each turn further affect your market performance, adding unpredictability to your path to riches.
Millionaire mixes strategy, risk management, and humour into a simulation of Britain’s booming 1980s software scene. Its Ricochet budget release brought this clever and timely concept to a wider audience.
