Magazine Mogul

If Magazine Mogul looks familiar, that's not a huge surprise. It's built directly upon the foundations of Kairosoft's previous sim/management game Game Dev Story.

This is no bad thing, of course, and fans of that Silver Award-winning title and its many stablemates will be ready for a new episode, even if it sticks very closely to the same format.

Despite the fact that print and paper publishing is pretty much dead and buried in a shallow, unconsecrated grave, that doesn't mean you can't have a lot of fun remembering what it might have been like running your own community magazine.

That's the premise that Magazine Mogul takes, and it's interesting that the developer has opted for a niche market publication rather than plunging you into the world of big and glossy shelf fillers.

Running a niche publication gives the whole game a unique focus, as you never quite know what you're going to be reporting on - whether it's working for the mayor or providing insight into the baked potato industry.

The reason this adds intrigue to the game is that you actually get to see how your magazine helps to shape the town you're working in, or the sector you're covering.

And, of course, events in your sector affect the town as a whole, and your standing in it, so it would be fair to say this is also a community management game as well as a simulator.

So, you've got your magazine topic, and it's time to start chasing down stories. Magazine Mogul, like all of Kairosoft's games, is still a simulation at heart, but not the kind of in-depth, realistic experience that most sim games aim for. Building your magazine isn't a particularly complicated chore.

To determine whether a story hits its mark, you must carefully select and train your staff of journalists, for example. You don't have to worry too much about article layout, or upsetting advertisers, or dealing with the 100 other onerous tasks that a mag editor actually has to wade through. This is a wise design decision, and one of the reasons Kairosoft sims are so playable.

Regular mini-games involve sending out reporters, holding staff meetings (not nearly as tedious as it sounds), scouting, training, and so forth. These revolve around the actual magazine production, while a lot of the publishing legwork is put aside. This frees you up to enjoy the game in shorter, more smartphone gaming-friendly bouts.

That said, gamers who really like to get their teeth into simulators might find Magazine Mogul wanting. Similarly, long-time Kairosoft fans aren't going to find anything new here.

The expected, and quite excellent, retro-styled isometric graphics are pretty much identical to Magazine Mogul's large number of sister games, as is the entertaining yet pleasantly superficial gameplay.

The upshot here is that, yes, Magazine Mogul is a good game with a great flavour, but if you've eaten at Kairosoft's table before you might get bored of what's on offer right from the outset.

But anyone who's new to the world of pixellated simulations, or has a particular penchant for journalism and publishing titles, can't go wrong with Magazine Mogul.