Mall Tycoon 3

The Long-Awaited release of Mall Tycoon 3 answered the questions of an angry nation. "Will Mrs Neasden have access to the higher-end food shops with those sausages that Mr Neasden likes so much?" was one such question. "Will it be on fire?" was another.

As far as childlike Tycoon games go, Mall Tycoon 3 is an opaque, unsatisfying process, with success or failure hiding behind an unfriendly mist. Even your own basic understanding of how things work - near the mall entrance is a prime location, and expensive shops bring in more money - doesn't necessarily hold true in Mall Tycoon world. You can't advertise for a store that's flagging, but you'll have to suck up the financial loss when they get pissed off and piss off.

This is a nicer-looking affair than the previous two games, and if you must wade through the treacle of Tycoon games, this is actually one of the better efforts out there.

However, there are more fulfilling, coherent, and less frustrating ways to fulfil your greed instinct. Better still, you could just stifle that instinct and become a nicer person.