Wild West World is a detailed game of simulation and strategy that takes place in the frontier setting of the American wild west. It was both developed and published by Software 2000 in the early nineties, and found its way to several platforms, including the Amiga, Atari ST, and of course the home computer running the DOS operating system. If it had to be categorized, it would best fall into the genre of managerial games or strategy, similar to the more modern plays, such as Civilization.
The goal of the game is to start off small and eventually build a booming economic empire in the old west. When the player begins the game, he will be small and simple and will only have enough money to purchase some land and some rudimentary tools. He will be able to undertake several possibly lucrative trades on his new homestead in an effort to better himself, including farming, ranching and mining. He is also able to hunt and trap to feed himself, although it can also be used to make a bit of cash as well. With the money the pioneer makes in his various business ventures, he can purchase more land and begin building his empire.
As he becomes more affluent and has more and more land to take care of, he will begin a steady stream of hiring and purchasing, since employees will be needed to care for the empire, people will need to be fed, livestock will need to be purchased and fed, and so on.
As was true in the actual wild west, the user will not be without competition, and he will have to be wary of rival businessmen looking to capitalize on the times, as well as on any mistakes the user may make in judgment. As the game progresses and becomes more involved, the competition will become more challenging, and sheer business savvy will not be enough to stay ahead of the game. The user will have to rely on a set bag of dirty tricks to try to foil the competition. The gamer can hire outlaws to harass the other players, can assassinate their employees, and can even bribe the Native Americans to pull nasty tricks on them, such as lighting their farms and ranches on fire!
As a whole, this is an interesting little game of micromanagement and sometimes a complete lack of scruples. It will take a combination of both in order to win Wild West World, but the one guarantee is having a fun time trying to get ahead.
