AbleGamers iPhone Game of the Week: Dope Wars

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Published on Sunday, 02 December 2012 06:48

Written by Jesse Lifshitz

Dope Wars originally released in 1984 as Drugwars. In the years since an open source version was released and the game has subsequently made its way online and onto all the major devices from Palm OS to iOS.

What is it about Dope Wars that’s so appealing? People have praised it for allowing them to live life as a drug dealer and for its economic simulation. Dope Wars tasks you with buying and selling drugs to make back money on a loan. In the Kongregate version you start off with a $5,500 debt, and must pay it off by the end of the month. Over the course of the month you travel from borough to borough in New York City buying low and selling high, or at least try to. The basic rules of economics come into play. Prices fluctuate each day, and are influenced by in game events that either increase or decrease the supply or demand.

This economic model is easy to learn and creates a hard game to play. Prices don’t fluctuate predictably that much unless there is an in game event, in which case the game is easy to win. The difficulty scale is a little off, and you either win with flying colors or fail miserably. Fights liven up the game, although they are too easy to win or flee from and do not occur as often as they should. Dope Wars is a fun economic simulation which is also accessible to everyone.

Dope Wars is playable only with the mouse and is played in menus. The game does not require any sound and does not denote anything with color, and if you find the text to small, just zoom in with the browser.

Dope Wars is the perfect game for a work break, as I have tested far too many times, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the life you never had.