PRESIDENT FOREVER, Hot Pot Software
Part SimCity, part C-SPAN, President Forever lets you play campaign manager in this year's race: You can try to guide George W. Bush to reelection, run the campaign of one of the Democratic challengers or opt for the frustrating life of a Green Party or Libertarian candidate. Or design your own candidate and use your own mug shot for him or her.
After picking a pol, you inspect this fellow's stance on 22 campaign themes -- 18 issues, ranging from affirmative action to terrorism, plus four intangibles of leadership, integrity, experience and issue knowledge -- plot an electoral strategy and swing into action. You can design advertisements, choosing from a menu of spots that tout your position or bash your opponent, organize grass-roots workers and lobby for high-profile endorsements. If you like dirty tricks, you can do opposition research, run attack ads or plant a spy in an opponent's campaign headquarters -- all while keeping an eye on tracking polls, spinning the news and prepping for debates. When the election rolls around, watching the results come in may feel like a relief.
Gameplay is smooth and entertaining, with clean, simple graphics. The documentation, however, is a bit thin, and the version we tested said Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) hails from North Dakota (the developers say they've fixed that). It also starts both Republicans and Democrats with equal campaign cash -- as if that ever happens. For those who would prefer to rehash old elections, a free expansion pack covering such historical campaigns as Kennedy-Nixon and Clinton-Bush is due in mid-February.
-- Anthony Zurcher
i am planning to get the full version soon. the full version only costs $12! the demo doesn't give you a canidate editor, allow you to load your games, or play all the way to the election (i believe only 3 weeks). i highly recomend the game, and would like to hear what other people think
