Stocks & Bonds

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs

GAME DESIGNER:
GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill
GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill
Copyright 1982, Avalon Hill

Stocks & Bonds is an excellent PC port of 3M/Avalon Hills board game of the same name that remains to this day one of the best tabletop stock market simulations ever made. Starting with $5,000 in funds, your job is to invest in the games 10 securities, buying and selling each year (= 1 round) to become the wealthiest stockholder in the game. As in the actual board game, you can compete with up to 8 players. One of the more interesting features of the board game original is the unique calculator which will tell you if you have had a Happy Monday or a Black Friday. This has been implemented quite effectively in the PC version.

Given its age (first released in 1981), Stocks & Bonds is admittedly a primitive simulation by todays standards, with simple gameplay and little variety. But still, for a game coded in BASIC its quite good stock movements and impact of the bear and bull markets are realistic enough to keep me interested for a while, at least. And fans of the board game classics will be delighted with this rare PC version. Recommended if you enjoy stock market simulations in general.