REVIEWS COURTESY OF ZXSR

Great Britain Ltd
by Simon W. Hessel
Hessel Software
1982
Crash Issue 1, Feb 1984   page(s) 61

Producer: Simon Hessel, 48K
£6.95

You are Prime Minister of Great Britain and your aim is to stay in power as long as you can. Having chosen which party you wish to represent you are presented with the state of the nation, the rate of inflation, unemployment rate, exchange rate for the pound and dollar, your popularity rating, nation's balance at the bank and so on. Factors taken into account are population figures and relationship of OAPs to children, number of companies in business, tax income from various sources, expenditure for the previous year, and the prices of commodities. The general aim is to work towards the General Election and win it. A highly complex program which takes you to the thrills of Election Night - and beyond (if you're a success) Recommended.


Transcript by Chris Bourne

Crash Issue 2, Mar 1984   page(s) 64

Producer: Simon Hessel, 48K
£6.95

You are Prime Minister of Great Britain and your aim is to stay in power as long as you can. Having chosen which party you wish to represent you are presented with the state of the nation, the rate of inflation, unemployment rate, exchange rate for the pound and dollar, your popularity rating, nation's balance at the bank and so on. Factors taken into account are population figures and relationship of OAPs to children, number of companies in business, tax income from various sources, expenditure for the previous year, and the prices of commodities. The general aim is to work towards the General Election and win it. A highly complex program which takes you to the thrills of Election Night - and beyond (if you're a success) Recommended.


Transcript by Chris Bourne

Crash Issue 4, May 1984   page(s) 70

Producer: Simon Hessel, 48K
£6.95

You are Prime Minister of Great Britain and your aim is to stay in power as long as you can. Having chosen which party you wish to represent you are presented with the state of the nation, the rate of inflation, unemployment rate, exchange rate for the pound and dollar, your popularity rating, nation's balance at the bank and so on. Factors taken into account are population figures and relationship of OAPs to children, number of companies in business, tax income from various sources, expenditure for the previous year, and the prices of commodities. The general aim is to work towards the General Election and win it. A highly complex program which takes you to the thrills of Election Night - and beyond (if you're a success) Recommended.


Transcript by Chris Bourne

Personal Computer Games Issue 1, Sep 1983   page(s) 93

MACHINE: Spectrum (versions also available for ZX81 and BBC)
SUPPLIER: Simon Hessel Software
PRICE: £5.95

I'm assured that the 16K ZX81 version of this is number 10 in the ZX software library. It's a colourful and sophisticated management game that gives you the chance to play at being prime minister of our sceptred isle. The idea is to stay in power for as long as possible. So you must end each five-year term in a popular state.

To start the game, you key in your name and then choose the party you represent - Labour, Conservative, Liberal or Social Democrat. This is not a decision to be taken lightly. I found that a Labour government always started on a much worse footing than the rest, particularly Tory. When the preliminaries have been completed, you are presented with a rundown of the current state of affairs.

Simon Hessel does stress that this is a game and not a simulation. But plenty of variables are taken into consideration - inflation and unemployment being the key elements. Each year begins with these two factors being updated along with the exchange rate, your popularity rating and the balance of the national account. Their movement depends on your performance in the previous year. There are three ways in which you can control these figures.

First you must set the levels of income tax, corporation tax, VAT and excise duties on tobacco, alcohol and petrol. These will determine your total income at the end of the year. They will also affect unemployment, inflation and your popularity rating.

Next you must set the levels of social benefits, including child allowance, pensions and unemployment benefits. The populace are particularly sensitive to any of these, especially to pensions falling behind inflation. Finally, you are given the opportunity to plough money into some worthy cause in the hope that a social reform will be recognised. At the end of the year, news flashes will appear on the screen concerning riots or party revolts which may force you to revise your policies.

After five years an election takes place. You may be given the chance to outline your manifesto for the following term. This involves apportioning 1,000 points between four areas of social concern: inflation, unemployment, overseas aid, and law and order. Then you sit and watch as the results clock up.


REVIEW BY: Dick Olney

Transcript by Chris Bourne

ZX Computing Issue 4, Dec 1982   page(s) 77,78

NOT ALL THAT HAS COLOUR, GLITTERS.

In their haste to get Spectrum software on the market, it appears that some companies have simply decided to recycle their ZX81 stuff, adding a few little squeaks from the sound, and an INK or PAPER or three. Phil Garratt takes a close look at some of the material available, and notes that among the dross, gold still shines.

Is there anybody who doesn't think they could do a better job of running the country than the government? Well, all you need is a 48K Spectrum and "Great Britain Ltd" and you can find out.

You are Prime Minister and Chancellor rolled into one, and you can choose whether to represent Labour, Liberal, Conservative or SDP. Your task is to juggle the economy with the aim of staying in power for as long as possible.

At the start of the game the state of the nation is displayed, with information including the inflation rate, unemployment and your popularity. The Country Profile tells you the number of pensioners, children and companies, plus a breakdown of the revenue from all the various taxes. The Shopping Basket gives you the current prices of household items and the Retail Price index. You then get your chance to meddle!

The tax and duty rates are displayed and can be amended, as can the welfare benefits which follow. Failure to maintain benefits can lead to riots and worse, so watch out. You are also given the chance to carry out social reforms such as expanding the Health Service or building new schools. As these boosted popularity, I found it best to time them as close to the election as possible (a trick I learnt from the real politicians!).

If you manage to last five years, a General Election is held, which usually led to me being booted out, often in favour of some rather odd coalitions (Labour-Conservative!?!).

INFLATION JUMPING

"Great Britain Ltd" is a game and not an attempt at realistic economic forecasting. Unlike real life, the effect of decisions is immediate and often drastic, such as inflation jumping from 10% to 120% in one year. But enough information is presented for a player to make very careful decisions based on the data, if he or she wishes to take it seriously. There are many ways in which this game could have been made more realistic and sophisticated, but the program would become much slower to run. I think the author has struck a good balance, and produced a difficult and challenging game.

"Great Britain Limited" is £5.95 from S W Hessel, 15 Lytham Court, Cardwell Crescent, Sunninghill, Berks.


REVIEW BY: Phil Garratt

Transcript by Chris Bourne

Sinclair User Issue 8, Nov 1982   page(s) 9

MAKING BRITAIN GREAT IN 48K

In Great Britain Limited, a game for the 48K Spectrum, the player inherits the problems of the British economy. You have a choice of becoming Conservative, Labour, Liberal or SDP Prime Minister, with a five-year term of office which would give ulcers to any hardened Minister.

The purpose is to manipulate the yearly budget to keep inflation and unemployment at the lowest possible level. That may be difficult one way or another because you may have to raise company taxes to bring down inflation. If you do so, however, people will be made redundant, because bosses cannot afford to retain them. As a result of the tax increases, the dole queues will grow longer.

On top of the mass unemployment, soaring inflation rate, increases in prices and taxes, you may have to deal with riots and general public disquiet.

Every five years you will have to face a General Election and perhaps suffer a humiliating defeat. It is easier to lose in this game than to win. Inflation and unemployment seem to escalate for no reason at all. The game may enlighten a few to the problems of Government but it is a game, not a simulation. It costs £4.95.

Great Britain Limited is available from S W Hessel, 15 Lytham Court, Cardwell Cres., Sunninghill, Berkshire.


Gilbert Factor7/10
Transcript by Chris Bourne

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