Title: Start-Up
Genre: Management
Strap: After a hard day at the office, why not sit down to a hard day at the office?

Have you ever thought to yourself, "You know, I don’t think that my work is stressful enough, if only there were a way to fill my spare time with all the anxieties and complications of a day in the office."? Nope, didn’t think so. And nor has anyone else of sane mind and body – which of course excludes French game designers.

Don’t be mistaken in thinking that this is an attack against the French, absolutely not, but it does have to be said that their PC games are a little on the barking-like-a-dog-while-dressed-in-a-tutu side of normal. Even their great games like LBA still have one foot firmly planted on Loony Island. But this time they really seem to have surpassed themselves.

Start-Up is a (wait for it) "High-Tech Industry Sim." In fact, developers Monte Cristo are dedicated to creating "realistic business simulation games." And this is truly, exactly what this is. Look at the pictures if you are in doubt. You have a simulated office, simulated co-workers, and simulated charts and graphs and monthly accounts and product development and research and world-wide distribution and email and news wires and on and on and on. Why? Why would anyone want to put themselves through this?