Fast Food Tycoon
Fast Food Tycoon, also known as Pizza Syndicate in Europe, is an economical simulation computer game released in 1999 by Software 2000 and licensed to Activision Value Publishing. Similar to "Pizza Tycoon", "Fast Food Tycoon" is centered on the object of creating and managing a successful pizza restaurant-chain business. The series spawned a sequel, "Fast Food Tycoon 2". It also received an expansion pack, Mehr Biss, which was released only in German. Gameplay. "Fast Food Tycoon" tests the player's culinary expertise and management skills. Players creates their own characters, balancing personal traits and experience at  the expense of age and starting money. The game provides more than 800,000 different character possibilities. The gameplay can be open-ended or object-oriented. The player determines the conditions and objectives of the game during player configuration. The player must manage and decide branch-location, pizza recipes, interior design, global marketing and fast food advertising strategies, employees, and out-competing rivals. The player has control of every aspect of the game, from the type of seating used in the branches to the medium of advertisement. The player can even choose what bank to invest with and borrow from. "Fast  Food Tycoon" also offers the "syndicate" theme where managers utilize the "underground" (mafia) to meet their goals. The player can both form a new syndicate or join an already established organization to partake in the darker side of the business. However, if the player is killed during a syndicate mission, the simulation ends. The player must weigh the benefits of illegal activity against the dangers of mafia life. "Fast Food Tycoon" allows for up to six computer opponents, simultaneously competing in up to six different international cities, picked from a list of 20. The game also includes up to 140  interactive characters in each city, and multi-cultural soundtracks matching each city's location. "Fast Food Tycoon" incorporates a playful sense of humor into the animated game play, with a multitude of menus and tools. Reviews. "IGN" 7.0/10 (Decent): "When you consider that this game goes for around $19.99, it's a pretty good deal if you like economic simulations. Fast Food Tycoon isn't a hard-core sim or anything, but it'll give you some hours of fun equal to what you paid for it."