President Elect

From the back of the box

PRESIDENT ELECT is the perfect release for the armchair politician in all of us. Disenchanted with the way previous elections have gone? Disappointed with the campaign strategies of your favorite candidates? How would JFK and Ronald Regan have done against each other? How would you do if you ran for president? No longer do these frustrations and questions have to go unanswered. Every major electoral parameter has been duplicated to make PRESIDENT ELECT the most accurate and realistic model of the campaign process ever made. Aside from being just a whole lot of fun, this game also holds tremendous potential as an educational tool.

Political Climate
You can contest any election from 1960 to 1984 using actual historical candidates or ones you make up. At the beginning of the game, the computer reflects the prevailing political climate of the specified time based on economic factors and U.S. and foreign news. The candidates' political persuasions will have been either preprogrammed or rated by you based on their responses to over 20 issues as diverse as ERA, environment, SALT treaty, PLO...

The Campaign
You are given a fixed amount of money to spend on your candidate's campaign. You must allocate your funds among national, regional and key-state advertising. Time and frequency of campaign stops must also be carefully planned to avoid fatigue. During the campaign, national and foreign crises may arise to challenge you. You'll be asked if you wish to debate. Like a real debate, you'll be scored on your answers and speaking ability.

Election Night
This is it! Election night can be resolved instantly for the impatient at heart. Or it can be simulated as a hair-raising minute-by-minute experience.

Three-Player Game
PRESIDENT ELECT accounts for the Republican, Democratic, and possible third-party candidates. The computer can play any or all three positions. It can be programmed to play a game over and over again with major parameters changed each time to see how a particular election turns out. True aspirants to the office take heed! May the best-managed candidate win!

By Nelson Hernandez Sr.