DopeWars

Summary

What better way to spend an Easter Monday than exploring your dark side and slipping into the role of a bona fide drug lord! Oh yes, today we're reviewing DopeWars for you. This game let's you experience (well, kind of) what it's like to be a gangster (in virtuality), while all the while remaining the good, tax-paying citizen that you (hopefully) are (in real life). Go on, be brave and take a hit of DopeWars! 

So when was the last time you got really hooked to a game? Even if you're not an avid gamer, our guess is that you'll get addicted to DopeWars.

The setting: New York City; the year: 1984. As the local drug lord you have 30/60 days to make your fortune. You start off with $3000 credit which you should use to buy a selection of drugs. Sounds tempting, right? Well, if ever that isn't enough excitement for you, never fear because there are also options for purchasing weapons, being mugged and/or having to go up against the police. All the iconic locations are available (Bronx, Manhattan, Central Park, Brooklyn, Coney Island, Ghetto) but every time you switch settings you lose a day.

There is a lot of text in DopeWars, seeing as it was originally created as a console game that quickly become every system administrator's favourite.

Check out high scores to see how other gamers, erm, drug gangsters are doing.

Bottom line:

The fascinating thing about DopeWars is that it allows users to experience first hand how quickly you make big profits but also how cut-throat loan sharks are when it comes to paying back with interest. It's an interesting experience and one that's unlike any other (except other apps from the DopeWars franchise, that is).

Don't expect thrilling graphics, impressive FX and grandiose score here, because you will be disappointed. The original DopeWars is a purely text based game for Unix consoles, and the Android version stays true to the same concept.

That said, DopeWars is user friendly and overall easy to navigate.

There were a few issues with DopeWars during our test runs, ranging from momentary freezing over several seconds to a few force closes, especially when there were high sums of money at stake. There seem to be a few bugs, let's see if the developers can get on top of them.

 
DopeWars can be downloaded for free.