HIDDEN AGENDA

 HIDDEN AGENDA is a political simulation from TRANS Fiction Systems and
Springboard Software. This review is based on the Macintosh (512K) version;
IBM-PC version notes follow.

 You play the game as the incoming Presidente of Chimerica, a small country in
Central America. The previous dictator has been overthrown, and the people have
decided that you're the candidate who can best lead the country. When you begin
the game, you're given the opportunity to name yourself. The Chimerican custom
of naming is rather interesting, as explained in the documentation: Your full
name consists of what Americans consider two last names and one first name.
You're then presented with three sets of three choices, each describing your
possible political goals for the country. For example, you may choose to
emphasize raising the literacy rate, improving relations with your neighbors, or
increasing the volume of exports. Unfortunately, there is no way to print or
otherwise save this information for later access (unless you write it down).

 The first thing you must do as Presidente is appoint ministers to advise you.
You take no action on your own in this game; all decisions result from proposals
made either by your ministers, or by someone you've chosen to encounter. The
ministers must be selected from the three political parties: the National
Liberation Front, Popular Stability, and Christian Reform. There are four
cabinet positions to be filled: the minister of agriculture, the defense
minster, the minster of internal affairs, and the minister of external affairs.

 As a result, at least two of the ministers will share the same political party.
All your ministers may be from the same political party, but it's harder to stay
in power that way. The National Liberationists are the most left-leaning: They'd
like to see the land go back to the people, the army concern itself with
cleaning up the remnants of the previous dictator's activists, and closer
relations with a broad list of countries. The Popular Stability party favors
keeping land in the hands of those who paid for it, a powerful army that ignores
past transgressions, and a strong relationship with the United States. Christian
Reform is somewhere in the middle. You might think a slate full of Christian
Reformist ministers would be the best alternative, but sometimes the Reformists
manage only to make everyone else upset.

 Once you've selected your ministers, it's time to read the reports on your
desk; they consist of headlines and stories from several newspapers in
Chimerica. Sometimes, by reading these reports, you can measure the impact of
the various decisions to which you've agreed. At the beginning of the game, most
reports reflect the Chimericans' hope for your leadership.

 After browsing through your reports, you can either consult your ministers to
find out what they'd like to talk about, or go to the Encounter page, where
you'll choose to encounter various people who'd like to talk to you. Initially,
you'll need to encounter certain people (such as those from the International
Monetary Fund) just to get the country going. After that, though, it'll be up to
you.

 When you choose to encounter someone, he or she will propose something to you.
At that time, you can ask for advice from the appropriate minister, accept the
proposal, accept the advice, or table the issue for later consultation with your
full cabinet. Many times, encounters will happen without your chosing them. In
such cases, you won't be able to table the issue; you'll have to make a decision
immediately.

 You can also consult with various ministers about the topics that concern them.
These will involve their "hidden agenda," so you'll need to be careful about
what you agree to: Sometimes things will go further than you intended.

 The ministers will resign their positions if you seem unsupportive of their
viewpoints. Most of the time, you can persuade them to remain, which solves the
problem. But they've also been known to lead coups against you, so you'll have
to try to keep them at least marginally happy.

 Speaking of coups, as Presidente, you'll experience them. Certain groups who
have become unhappy with your decisions will attempt to overthrow you. You can
resist a coup, and sometimes you'll succeed, especially if you have the support
of the National Liberation party. But if your political base depends on the
Popular Stability party, you're more likely to be ousted. Assuming you allow
elections, you may either be re-elected or defeated at the polls. You may also
be re-elected, and then asked to resign. If you're defeated at the polls or
asked to resign, that's that: It's time to start a new game. At the end of each
game, you can obtain a report of how well you did. It's written as if it
appeared in a history book, from the perspective of someone outside looking in.

 HIDDEN AGENDA is passable as a political simulation, particularly if you're
interested in Central American politics. However, its realism is severely
affected by your limited ability to merely agree or disagree with proposals
presented to you. As a result, you'll enjoy the game less, feeling as if you've
been manipulated throughout the duration of your presidential term.

 The presentation of the game is less than ideal, as well. As mentioned
previously, you choose goals to implement as Presidente, but you have to record
these goals by hand. When you go to the Encounter menu, you've really no idea
where to begin or whom to talk to; trial and error can be politically costly
and, quite frankly, unrealistic. The game's strong point, however, is its
replayability. You can always try a different combination of ministers, as well
as different encounters. Fortunately, although the game takes less than an hour
to play, its depth is sufficient to keep you interested. And the endgame report
is a helpful feature, especially when you print it out and compare it with
previous games' reports.

 The Macintosh version of HIDDEN AGENDA is completely without copy protection
(on disk or off).

 I can't recommend HIDDEN AGENDA to hard-core gamers, because it gives the
player so little control. But for those interested in politics and leadership,
it would be worth buying (subject to the drawbacks described above).

 IBM-PC VERSION NOTES

 The IBM-PC version of HIDDEN AGENDA requires an IBM, Tandy, or compatible with
512K and one 3-1/2" or two 5-1/4" drives, with CGA or an emulation of CGA
640x200. Displays are black-and-white, though the graphic charts and sketches of
characters are good quality. There is no copy-protection. Games can be saved,
which is important if you want to analyze the detailed effects of each action by
trying alternate routes from the same point.

 The way to avoid the "helpless puppet" syndrome described above by Jennifer is
to be active in seeking possible crisis sources before they explode: If
necessary, reshuffle your cabinet to obtain the range of proposals that you
need.

 In one game of 15, I found myself trapped in an interview with one of the
Ambassadors with no way to terminate it: I had to re-boot. The designers are
working on a similar game set in Gorbachev's Soviet Union.

 A hard-core gamer myself, I _do_ recommend HIDDEN AGENDA both as a puzzle and
as an "exploration experience." An interest in the theme is nevertheless
essential to enjoyment.

 HIDDEN AGENDA is published and distributed by Springboard Software, Inc.

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