Wheeler Dealers

Name: Wheeler Dealers
Programmer(s): Danielle Berry
Publisher: Speakeasy
Year: 1978

Description:

Wheeler Dealers was a business simulation game released for the Apple II computer in 1978 by Speakeasy Software. This early economic game let players become stock market traders trying to build wealth through smart investments.

The game put you in control of a starting budget of $10,000. Your goal was simple: buy low, sell high, and turn that money into a fortune. Players watched stock prices change on their monochrome monitors and decided when to buy or sell shares from different companies. The game featured about 15 different stocks with names like "IBM" and "XRX" that moved up and down based on market trends and random events.

Each turn represented one day of trading. Players typed commands to buy stocks, sell stocks, or just wait and watch prices change. The game showed your portfolio value and cash on hand using simple text displays. Random news events would pop up and affect stock prices. An oil shortage might make energy stocks go up while hurting airline stocks. A new technology breakthrough could send computer companies soaring.

What made Wheeler Dealers special was its use of real economic principles. Supply and demand affected prices. Buying too much of one stock would drive its price up. The game taught basic investing concepts like diversification and risk management. Players learned that putting all their money in one stock was dangerous.

The game had no graphics beyond text and numbers. Everything appeared in the standard Apple II font in green or amber depending on your monitor. Despite the simple presentation, Wheeler Dealers kept players engaged with its unpredictable market swings and the thrill of watching investments grow or crash.

Wheeler Dealers helped establish the business simulation genre on personal computers. While other Apple II games focused on action or adventure, this game proved that economic simulations could be engaging. It influenced later games like Wall Street Raider and Capitalism.

The game's main limitation was its randomness. Sometimes stocks would move without logical reasons, frustrating players who wanted more realistic market behavior. The simple interface also meant players couldn't access detailed company information or charts to make informed decisions.

Wheeler Dealers remained popular throughout the early 1980s among Apple II users interested in finance and economics. Teachers used it in classrooms to demonstrate market concepts. The game received ports to other systems including the Commodore 64 and IBM PC, spreading its influence beyond the Apple II community.

Today, Wheeler Dealers stands as an important early example of educational gaming. It showed that computers could teach complex subjects through interactive experiences rather than just displaying information.