SimCity
© 1993 Electronic Arts, Inc.
Starting with an empty 5 x 5 mile square of land and a sum of money, children can design and manage their own city in this amazingly realistic simulation. First, you divide your land into residential, commercial and industrial areas. Using detailed menus, you can add a coal fired electrical plant and a water pumping station, lay power and water lines and put in a road system. Good planning is essential for success at the early stages, which is measured in terms of a growing population and tax base. When a basic infrastructure is in place, homes, stores and industry begin sprouting as time goes by. When your population reaches 20,000, you are awarded a Mayor's mansion. Periodically, newspapers pop up, which help you monitor your city. You may decide that you want to add a college or a state park, or increase the police force. There is little time to rest, however, as a bridge may collapse, or your city may experience a random flood or a visit from a hostile space creature. Cities can be saved at any point and continued for days at a time, similar to building a complex model. Our testers found the program fun, but difficult to get started with. They did not always understand why a city failed. Nevertheless, this is a highly recommended program for upper elementary children and city officials. See SimCity 4.
$54.95, DOS, Mac, Win 3.1, Win '95 CD-ROM
Teaches: planning, maps, gov., history, and city-related issues