Recommended Requirement
CPU : Pentium III 500Mhz processor or higher
RAM : 128MB RAM
Video Card : 32MB Direct 3D Video Card with DirectX support

Installation
Installation of this game is easy as long as your machine has met with the system requirement, you will not get any serious problem during installation.

Background Story
Mall tycoon was developed based on other successful tycoon style games, such as rollercoaster tycoon and zoo tycoon. Unlike its predecessor mall tycoon targets a wider market than the other “sophisticated graphics” tycoon style games.
Average computer machine do not support advanced graphic card, system memory and powerful processor speed, this middle-machine users are the chuck of markets the game want to target. Hence the game was designed in a moderate graphical quality and system requirement.
Game concept and implementation are similar to those of other tycoon style games, it allows gamers to build, design and manage their asset and gain as much profit as they can.

Game Learning
Once the game has been installed, gamer is able to find soft copy of game manual, which shortcut is made ready in start menu. However the manual is available in acrobat reader file, this may required some gamer to install acrobat reader program before viewing the content. The game has several options. It has free play and scenario menu. Beginners may try to explore menu and functions available in free play menu. In free play mode, gamers may create their-own mall without any time constraint or revenue target. I would suggest beginners to try out this free play menu to explore the game and become familiar with some basic functions to build and manage their mall. The other mode, scenario mode, gamers play the game under a certain scenario and difficulty level. There are many scenarios that gamers can choose. Each of them has different difficulty level, mall outlook, environment and time constraint of how long the gamers should accomplish their mission. The task is normally about total revenue or number of customer in the mall the gamer should attract in the given time constraint. Some gamers, who do not want to play the free play mode for their first time, if they read the manual thoroughly, it only takes about 15-25 minutes to familiarize and get a good hand to start playing the game.
Yes it is right. Mall tycoon is game that is easy to learn, even if you have never played any similar game before.

User Interface
Functions are easy to learn and they are represented by clear graphical icons. Main functions are located on the right side of the screen. They are divided into several main sections. Each of them will bring gamers to the related section’s function icons, such as building stores, adding decoration, viewing financial report, viewing different level of mall, advertising campaign, starting research and many more.

All required functions are available in graphical matter, gamers only need to click and drag them and get the result in no time. At every time gamers are also able to view how much money they have earned and how many more years they have to complete the game, based on the game-time.
However, fixed user interface model does not allow gamers to modify, hence after a long time playing; gamers may find it boring to keep on looking at the same interface all the time.

Graphics
The environment around a mall is very simple and unattractive. Although the developer tried to create dwelling area around the mall, the housing design is very minimal with one type of housing model for all the houses. Shoppers are coming from nowhere; the dwelling area does not seem to be their residence.

Mall Tycoon support 3D graphical models for most of the items in the mall, like shops, merchandise, signs, billboard, etc. However, parts of the game are still of 2D models, such as the shoppers, they are flat people who walk around a 3D environment. This is a real downgrade to the game attractiveness. Simulations of people in the mall are monotone, I believe that the system adopts only one or so sub-routine to simulate shoppers and shop-keepers’ movements and behaviors. I would say the developer has missed a very important point here. In a game, simulations of people or other game items are supposedly to add attractiveness to the game itself. It will make a gamer interested to observe their unique behavior and hence it will attract gamers to play the game again and again.

The game has an easy navigation control, where gamers are allowed to zoom in or out easily. However low quality graphics detail will stop gamers to observe the game more closely. The picture quality is like those of 3D games in 90s. The design of shops are similar to each other, rough finishing and dull-unattractive color options, many storefronts and interior looks blotchy and dated, color does not blend with one another, textures look un-professional and cheapie. So zooming in will reveal less detail instead of more.

Attractiveness
The game has poor game play. It is a great concept of building and managing our own mall though. The main reasons for its poor game play are mainly due to blocky graphics and unclear game cause and effect scenario. If your mall is dirty, once you hire cleaner, they will do the job through all the game, if your mall is full of prison-breaker, once you hire policemen, they will do the job through all the game, if you want to attract more customer, starting advertisement will do it. This simple concept does not make the gamer really involve in the game. It is very simple scenario that gamers will get bored after a few time of playing.

Surprisingly the game has better sound effect than its graphics, at least gamers are able to enjoy different sounds in different sections of the mall, depends on environment where gamers are looking at.

The game is divided into several levels of difficulties in scenario menu. Gamers may choose one of available scenarios. Each has different level of difficulties and floor map. The level of difficulties is classified based on area size and mission to accomplish.

People around the Game
This game is about making dream of some people come true, not in reality but in an audio-visual sensation. People who dreams to build and manage their own mall, wants to learn how to manage a business and those who wants to try out their managerial experience, are the target player of this game. However this game is a single player game, gamer does not have any opponents or teammates, other than playing against the game system itself.

by Richard A,N, 2003.

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