Software Reviews : THE OTHER SIDE: A Global Conflict Resolution Game Publisher: Tom Snyder Productions,Inc.,123 Mt. Auburn St.,Cambridge,MA 02138 (telephone: [phone]) Year of Publication: 1985 Materials: One instructor's guide,two player's guides,game and backup diskettes,two map/game boards,two erasable markers Price: $69.95 Machine Specificity: Apple II+,IIe,IIc (48K),(Version 2.0 also IBM PC and compatibles,Tandy 1000) System Requirements: One computer (or two computers connected by cable or modem),one disk drive per computer,color or monochrome monitor Effectiveness: Fair User-Friendliness: Fair Documentation: Fair

Abstract

The game is designed to create an environment that simulates situations of conflict and cooperation between two countries, represented by groups of three to four players. Much of the activity during a 90-minute run entails exploring and drilling for three types of fuels. To prosper, each country must obtain rare fuel that is available only from the other country. Limited communication between the countries can take place through a computer "hotline." Conflictual behavior takes the form of launching bombs that destroy possessions of the other side. Nations whose economies are not successfully managed fall prey to their C.A.D. (Computer Assisted Defense) system, which temporarily generates decisions that tend to heighten conflict with the other side. The game can be played in either of two modes. In the cooperative mode, the objective is to build a bridge between the two countries that will benefit both in as few years as possible. In the competitive mode, the side that adds the last brick to the bridge is declared the winner.