bonus game
LEMONADE
Article by GIGI BISSONProgram by BOB POLARO
Lemonade is a well-known educational simulation that teaches children basic economic concepts. Bob Polaro's excellent Atari version used to be available in the old Atari Program Exchange catalog. Recommended for ages 8 to 12. This BASIC program works on all Atari 8-bit computers of any memory size, with disk or cassette.
Have you ever dreamed about starting your own small business? Lemonade
tests your business sense. Your lemonade stand could make you rich. But
if your business is a lemon, it could make you bankrupt. And if you go
bankrupt, the game's over.
THE SQUEEZE
When life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade. But you might not
necessarily make a profit. The object of the Lemonade game is to make lots
of money by weighing your lemonade production and advertising costs against
anticipated sales.
Your costs vary with supply and demand, inflation, or
lemon shortages. Other conditions such as strikes and road construction
can also affect your sales. And watch out for rainstorms! As in the real
business world, you don't see the effects of these problems until after
you've committed your assets.
Does this sound complicated? Actually Lemonade is very
simple to play, but it teaches these complex economic concepts. Playing
Lemonade is a little like playing Monopoly-or like an earthbound version
of the science-fiction business game M.U.L.E.
Of course, the object is to be a shrewd investor and make
lots of bucks. Meanwhile, you'll learn something about the laws of supply
and demand, the effects of advertising your business, and the influence
of unexpected events on business ventures.
The information is presented in color and there are a
few sound effects, but no graphics. Lemonade probably wouldn't hold the
attention of young children very long. But older children will find that
making money can be as much fun as zapping space aliens! Teachers can easily
use the program to support lesson plans that define terms like "assets"
and concepts like inflation
HOW TO SUCCEED
You run a lemonade stand. It costs you money to make lemonade and to
advertise your stand. The object is to make decisions that will help you
earn as much money as possible.
To start your lemonade business, type in the program,
check it with TYPO II, and SAVE a copy before you RUN it. Antic disk subscribers
will find the program under the file name LEMONADE.BAS. When you begin
the game, you will see a color display telling you it's Day 1.
You begin with $2 in assets. (Assets are how much money
you have to spend.) You use your assets to buy ingredients and make signs.
On the first day, it only costs you 2 cents to make every glass of lemonade,
but that won't last for long in these inflationary times!
Some days, you might see special conditions that will
affect your business. For example, a Teamsters Strike. This means the truck
drivers who deliver your lemons aren't working. So the cost of lemons and
the demand for lemonade will go up, and you can charge more.
If Roadwork is displayed, the road will be blocked and
customers won't be able to get to your stand. Or, if prices are down, you'll
have to advertise more or charge less because demand will be down. If there's
a Heat-wave, you're in luck-people will be thirsting for your product.
Now you have to decide how many glasses of lemonade to
make. Type in a number. You can make up to 99 glasses. (If you want only
five glasses, type in 05.)
Instantly, "Signs at 15 cents" will pop up. Sometimes
the price will change. The more signs you make to advertise your stand,
the more lemonade you'll be able to sell. You can make up to nine signs.
"Price/Glass" will appear next. Think about your costs
and the conditions and then decide how much to charge. You can charge up
to 99 cents a glass. But remember, if you get greedy and charge too much,
people might decide to drink the New Coke instead.
Now the computer will ask, "Is this okay?" Type [Y] if
it is. If you want to charge a different price, type in [N] and start over.
The new numbers will replace the old ones on screen as you type them in.
The computer will do your accounting and tell you how
many glasses you sold and how much money you made.
If life is sweet, keep going until you've made lots of
money and become a lemonade tycoon. Of course, if your business goes sour,
you might go bankrupt. If that happens, don't get bitter. Just press [START]
and try again.
When Bob Polaro was a programmer at Atari, he wrote so much software that people used to jokingly refer to him as "Bob Co." He now runs an educational software programming business, Bob Co., in Santa Cruz, California.
Listing 1 LEMONADE.BAS Download