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I'm not sure if it's just me, or there is a severe shortage of thoughtful tycoon games out there lately? It was just a few years ago that just about every game company was pumping out low-quality, unoriginal and just plain old boring tycoon games. Since Rollercoaster Tycoon is one of my favorite games, I have always looked closely at the genre, but after a few times burnt, I do tend to be more cautious of which tycoon clones I'll dig my hands into.

Build-A-Lot is a casual tycoon-style game in which you start as a small-time investor and attempt to work your way to a larger goal in each following scenario. You are hired by town mayors as a real estate investor, you start off with a bit of money and some property in each location, and then you build and/or upgrade homes to make a profit. Your objectives vary from scenario to scenario, but for the most part, it has to do with reaching a certain profit level or income amount from rental properties.

Build-A-Lot revolves around money. You need cash to hire additional workers (the more luxurious homes and upgrades require more workers), buy empty or full lots, pay off taxes, buy blueprints, or purchase materials to construct new homes/buildings, and upgrade or repair older homes. You can earn money by either selling properties or homes, but the majority of it will be a steady source through rental income. Homes with taxes owed or in need of repair don't generate their normal income, so leaving yourself short on cash or materials can lead to your doom if you don't have enough other income to cover the repair bill. The largest limitation in Build-A-Lot is almost always time, while the early levels are relatively easy, it soon becomes more difficult to reach the bonus goal for each level and, soon after that, to even pass the level.

While the game is pretty convenient to play in short bursts, this does severely limit the complexity. Your basic routine is to build or upgrade homes on the lots you own initially and then purchase other lots or homes to accumulate your wealth. You upgrade the homes to increase rental income, while purchasing more materials for repairs or upgrades and also being careful to have enough stashed away for tax time or repairs. There are special buildings you can commission as well; all the buildings give you a bonus, such as half-priced materials, workers, allow the for eliminate of repairs or taxes, and possibly satisfy a scenario goal. You might have to purchase the plans for these buildings, but that is always allowed in scenarios before you actually need them.

Build-A-Lot seems to really lack any essential qualities to make it a great tycoon game, but it still is a very good casual game. While the game keeps introducing new buildings through the scenarios, and new options to manage your buildings, there really is little chance to use them, as all you ever play is their limited selection in scenarios.

The game also seems to lack any spark or flare that keeps your interest; all the levels are laid out in a very predictable fashion, and the whole game becomes a bit of a routine to play. While I enjoy that the later levels are difficult, they may be just a bit too difficult for some casual gamers to pass (at least without excessive frustration) and want to keep attempting because of the repetitive nature of the game. This really creates a vicious circle; optimal and routine gameplay is required to pass, but any real trial and error or mistakes will make you fail. This leads to a situation in which you really don't want to attempt to play around and find the best way to proceed through the game, as failure will result in even more repetition.

Both the graphics and sound are suitable for a casual game, and the minimum requirements needed to play. The graphics are pleasant but by no means very good; they lack variety and detail. The game client ran without a hitch; then again, this machine may be slightly overpowered for the job. The tabbed interface on the bottom seems a little bland — each tab has a large amount of space and displays little information.

With Build-A-Lot 2 recently coming out, this version may be slightly dated, but it is still a solid play. While it has its issues, it is by no means a bad game. My belief is just that the challenge and replay value the developers attempted to instill in the game by increasing difficulty really backfires because of the monotone and repetitive nature of the game. The developers did a pretty decent job at creating a casual tycoon game, and since tycoon games are a favorite genre of mine, I did enjoy it. I just remain with the feeling that something is missing.