The gameplay is similar to WTDTYAHBS, except that it is more reflective: there are less events (random or otherwise) to deal with, so you will spend most of your time perusing the annual reports, memos, and journal to make sound business decision. The goal, of course, is to make more money than your competitors. In Business Simulator, you have to increase both your personal net worth and your company’s book value. Billed as “an executive training tool,” the game does fulfill that claim by offering you a variety of options and realistic factors. Similar to WTDTYAHBS, there are different “levels” in the game, each corresponding to a stage in a company’s life. In Level I where you start the game (“start up”), there are few business choices you can make. As your company grows (and so does your net worth), you will advance to higher levels which give you access to more options. Decisions you can make in the game are categorized into two types: “make decisions” and “process decisions,” which are self-explanatory and provide an excellent way to distinguish between new decisions and keeping track of decisions you already made.

With a strong economic model, well-implemented gameplay, and well-written text (memos in particular), Business Simulator is a classic, if unfortunately obscure, business sim that truly stands the test of time. Two thumbs up, way up!