Game by
Total Gameplay

Gameplay: 8.5
Graphics: 8
Sound: 7.5
Appeal: 8.5

Final: 81%

Grade: B

Gameplay:

Like many other strategy games, “The Mastermind” is turn-based. During these turns, it’s your job to send your gangsters out to perpetrate crimes, begin trading with smugglers, and talk citizens into joining the syndicate; there are many other actions you can perform as well. Throughout the game you are rated by wealth points. Your wealth is pretty much another form of health. If your wealth goes down to zero, you get arrested and the game is over. You can gain wealth points by donating to charities or by buying out businesses that won’t have a negative effect on your bottom line. For example, owning gun shops and coffee shops will give you greater wealth, while night clubs and museums will not. There is so much you can do in “The Mastermind”—but that is also a problem. The further you get into the game, the more actions you must perform at the beginning of each turn, and it all starts to get confusing and a bit repetitive. All the actions your gangsters must perform have to be put in at the start of every day—which is the start of every turn. There isn’t a way to have them do one single task over a long period of time. Also, if you own businesses, you have to go to every building to collect your money. Doing all this takes up a lot of time and could possibly leave the player bored and irritated.

outwit your rivals and come out on the top of the heap

Graphics:

The graphics have their ups and downs. The city has a great look to it: shadows look pretty realistic, and the still models look OK. The only problem with the city is that there are not a whole lot of people or vehicles on the screen at any given time. In addition, some of the drawn art is lacking a bit. For example, sometimes you can’t even tell which gender the character is without having to look at his or her name.

Sound:

Audio quality lacked slightly. The music is catchy, and the ambience was pretty good. The only problem was that the quality of the sound itself was weak. Everything sounded really compressed. I did like that the urban ambient sound was consistent and continuous. Cars screech; pay phones ring; people chat; dogs bark. It really helps create the feeling of a living, bustling city.

Lasting Appeal:

After playing this game for some time now, I would definitely suggest fans of strategy games get “The Mastermind.” But make sure you have enough time to play, because you will be spending a lot of time performing actions over and over again.