"The game was really good. I think it was the most balanced in terms of information and fun. It follows a family for 4 years through the four different seasons (dry, rainy, hurricane, and one other I can't remember off of the top of my head). Each season have five choices of where to send the family members. To make money, you can make them work (the jobs depend on their education and the season) or go tend the family farm. To spend money you can send them to school or to the hospital, if they are ill. And in the middle is letting them rest at home, which doesn't affect your money but does affect their health.
Each family member has health, happiness, and education. If they lose all their health, they die, and if both parents die, you lose. The goal of the game is to maximize their educational certificates and not -- you know -- let them die.
It's interesting because once you start a season, there are a variety of things that can happen. You can send people to the hospital (in the middle of the season) or home if they get sick, and they can get kicked out of school if you run out of money. If you don't make enough money each month, your living conditions can worsen and you have a better chance of getting sick. If you have surplus money you can go buy stuff at the store (like school uniforms, bicycle, or indoor plumbing) that improves their living conditions. I really like the interplay of factors and consequences.
At the end of each year you get a mini year-in-review, and then at the end of the game you get to see what job people most did and their prospects for the future.
I also love the little sound effects when you move them between the various places on the map."
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