Software Reviews : SIMCITY,Version 1.0 Reviewed by James R. Simmons,Iowa State University Publisher: Maxis Software,953 Mountain View Drive,Suite #3,Lafayette,CA 94549 (telephone: [phone]) Materials: One 800K 3.5-inch floppy disk or one 5.25 disk (copy protected),a 44-page documentation manual and a user reference card Price: Macintosh $49.95,Amiga $44.95,Commodore $29.95,Upgrades and the supplementary Terrain Editor $24.95 each System Specificity: Macintosh,Amiga,Commodore System Requirements: 512K Macintosh;1 Megabyte Amiga;64/128 K Commodore Effectiveness: Good User-Friendliness: Good Documentation: Fair

Abstract

Despite packaging that would indicate that it is a game, SIMCITY is a fairly serious educational tool aimed at students of urban planning and strategic simulation. The program offers an interactive graphic representation of many of the dynamics of urban life. In this effort at urban simulation the user is faced with the daunting task of either resolving the multiple crises facing one of the program's eight ready-to-load historical cities or of designing a new model city on a randomly generated terrain.