O.K., so the title's not perfect, but it captures the spirit of the game. You play as a corrupt businessman, unofficially employed by the government to deal with trouble-makers. If you fail in your mission, there are others who will deal with you, and you will become the scapegoat for some scandal. If you succeed, your (Swiss) bank balance gets noticeably larger.

The game world is full of interesting characters for you to bribe, blackmail, "bump off" or simply set up to take the blame for one of your jobs. As well as these 'diplomatic' methods, you can use force to get what you want. Spies, saboteurs and henchmen replace the usual tanks and soldiers in combat situations.

Characters within the game:
Minority groups:
Missions involving minority groups often mean that you have to get them employed within the government. This takes longer than it sounds, as you have to either get a member of the government to resign or get him fired (or even kidnap him) because otherwise all the jobs are taken. You then have to make your chosen minority group leader seem the obvious choice for promotion. This requires you to do something horrible to the one guy, but do the other one a huge favour. Minority groups have their own unique people to combat your henchmen, should the worst come to worst. Members include those discriminated against for their racial, religious, or (ahem) sexual backgrounds.

Unions:
Basically ordinary people with political power. Strikes, riots, etc. are their speciality. Occasionally you will have to put one into government, stop a riot, or even dissolve a union altogether. You can also use them to annoy a particular MP, if you want to pressure them. Unions have their own henchmen to deal with your attacks. Think wisely before messin' with them! Unions include small groups (the Liverpudlian Toilet Cleaners Union) and bigger ones (The freemasons, for example).

Criminals:
You are sent in to deal with criminals when there is not enough evidence to prosecute so other methods are required. However, they are useful allies too, as they can forge documents for you, and make people 'dissapear' without it ever being traced back to you. Closely linked to the Unions (allegedly), and armed to the teeth, it's often wiser to out-smart rather than out-gun criminals. Criminal groups are from all over the world, and include the Chinese Triads and the Italia Mafia. The criminal's main weakness is the fact that they're all trying to compete for control of each area. Use this wisely to succeed.

The Media:
Either the newspapers or some television channel have got their hands on a scandal, and you have to silence it. Or - you may use the media to create a scandal yourself, if there's an MP who's giving you a hard time. Either way, these guys love gossip, and most of them are extremely gullible. These kids are no match for you in a fight, and they take bribery instantly. Easy enough to deal with.

The Government: Technically on your side, occasionally a rogue MP has to be dealt with. You can, throughout the course of the game change the members round, by getting them promoted, demoted, or replaced via your unique talents. Your final mission will be to stitch up your employer after he threatens to release information about your missions to the press. The government has civil servants patrolling the streets to keep your henchmen in check. In their boring brown suits and ties, they don't look much, but they can swing a briefcase pretty hard if need be. Branches of government include the 'Ministry of Defence' and 'Friends of The Greenery'

Business Game
Nick Cunliffe-Jones
nickcj@bun.com

Of course it's not perfect, but I do agree that it captures the spirit of the game and I also think it's a pretty good game idea.

Idea Reviewer:
-Vegard Aure-

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