Beauty Factory
Ages: Everyone

It's more than a game - it makes you really want to get inside of a factory and run one for real. Having had the opportunity of being inside an Estee Lauder's factory, I am impressed by the neutral shades in the lab - necessary if you are going to work on color. The graphics and layout of the facility are more than realistic - in production the assembly line is running, someone is mopping the floor, another checking the machine. In the lab fans are running, someone is on the computer, someone else taking notes. Animated icons indicate activity - cartons being packed, smoke stack smoking away. It's such a lovingly put together game.

The game starts in the lab, where cosmetics are created - perfume, eye shadow, lipstick, nail wear, and powder. In each case you try for a better than average test result based on current customers preferences. Production comes next, where you balance demand, stock on hand and cost. The last is sales and marketing, where you consider if you have the funds to do marketing, and if necessary, modify the price of your product. To help make the correct decisions there are innumerous reports, charts, and graphs.

There is a choice of different music, and along with the ambient sounds are muffled conversations adding to the feeling of actually being there. Now that City Interactive has done such a splendid job - how about one on the game industry?

Fun Factor: Sooo good
Female Factor: Get the girls out of the nail salon and into the lab.
Player Friendly: Good in-game tutorial but too minimal a manual for the kind of activity in the game

Reviewed by: Editor - 11/08