Wall Street Trader 99 Review

7.5

Format PC

Developer Monte Cristo

Publisher Monte Cristo

Genre Unknown

Paul Presley

Wall Street Trader 99 claims to be the 'best stock exchange simulation in the world!' (even emphasising the point with an exclamation mark).

If that was so, I thought, as I played the first of the game's five 'Make Lots Of Money Before The Time Limit' missions, how come there are only two companies to invest my million dollars in? I own more real-life stocks than that, and I'm skint.

The only problem with Wall Street Trader 99 is its pacing. The idea is to gradually introduce you to the world of high finance by opening itself up one small piece at a time. Unfortunately, it turns out to be too slow for all but the most inexperienced gamers. Even at the fastest speed setting, it still takes ages before you have any major choice about who to invest in, and chances are you'll have grown bored before long.

If you do stick with the game for long enough, things do get fairly intriguing, though. Missions such as saving the Euro from being devalued, or taking over a major world bank before it assimilates you can be quite fun. Really. And dabbling with the legalities of insider trading and industrial espionage also add quite a bit of interest. But it's never quite enough to dismiss the impression that this is little more than a novelty to anyone bar real financial enthusiasts.

If you fall into the latter category, then fine, you're going to have a whale of a time with Wall Street Trader 99. But it's not going to win any converts. At least, not for long.