CCS's programs aim to educate as well as entertain - and they aren't, it seems, bought just by joystick-happy youngsters. Candice Goodwin talks to marketing director Tricia Peters about the calmer side of a frantic industry

CCS's programs aim to educate as well as entertain - and they aren't, it seems, bought just by joystick-happy youngsters. Candice Goodwin talks to marketing director Tricia Peters about the calmer side of a frantic industry

There's one big problem with CCS's programs. How do you describe them? CCS isn't keen on the term "game". According to the company's marketing director, Tricia Peters: "Our programs are fun, and you can get a lot of entertainment out of them, but you can learn from them too." So for game, read business and strategy game, and you'll be nearer the mark.

The company's full name is Cases Computer Simulations, and that gives an even better idea of what its software is all about. Its five current programs give you a taste of what it's like to own a small business. In Auto Chef, for example, the object is to trade profitably so that your company amasses enough capital to take over Trust House Forte!

As well as a chef's hat, there are programs to let you take the role of farmer, a printer, an airline operator, and an oil magnate (pitting your wits against J. R.).

CCS was born in May 1982. Its founder and director is Melvin Lloyd-Jones, whose interest in computing dates back many years. Tricia said: "he used to work with computers in the days when they took up a whole room."

Working as a consultant, Melvin became interested in decision-making games for businessmen, and felt that there was room in the market for "more substantial" games that could show the full potential of home computers. So he wrote Airline for the ZX81, which was the micro he happened to own.

Airline is based on Freddie Laker's own airline business, and its appearance on the market coincided with Laker's now notorious financial difficulties. Laker's misfortunes worked to CCS's advantage, giving Airline extra, if unintentional, publicity.

CCS now has five strategy games for the ZX8l and Spectrum, plus two games converted for the Oric at Oric's request. Two new games are on the way, of which Tricia says, "we have tried to change the style a bit, but they're still what you might call intellectually stimulating."

The company is also working on material for "a new computer that's coming out", in close collaboration with the manufacturer. CCS's policy is, ultimately, to produce software for as many new machines as possible - unlike companies such as Psion and Rabbit, which concentrate on just two or three machines. Tricia makes a point of contacting every company with plans to bring out a new micro, with a view of converting CCS's software for it.

For Tricia, the software business was something completely new when she started working for CCS last year. Previously she worked in the wine trade, as salesperson for a firm of wine importers and wholesalers.

Her recruitment as a professional salesperson who could learn about computers, rather than a computer enthusiast trying a hand at sales, was a deliberate move. "Melvin's idea was to get away from the hobbyist market into a more commercial area" she says. "With micros increasingly being introduced into the office, he saw home computers as a WilY of introducing people to the idea of office micros.

"Computers are an obvious educational aid for kids, but they can also be used by people of any age who want to learn. We're trying to make the dads and mums join in."

CCS started off selling its wares by mail order, but is moving increasingly towards retail, in common with most software companies. Tricia would like to go further than this and have programs sold not only in computer shops and computer departments, but in outlets like record shops and newsagents, much as video films are now. "I think software will go the same way as the video market", she said.

As well as directors Tricia and Melvin, CCS consists of legal and financial adviser Richard Peters, Girl Friday Anne Williams, and two full-time programmers who work at home. Most of the programmers' time is spent in writing new programs and converting old ones to new machines, though they do some tidying up on the few submitted programs CCS takes on. Tricia said: "we get a lot of programs sent in, but a lot aren't in our style."

Each CCS program takes about two weeks of solid research to create a realistic business scenario, followed by six weeks of programming. The result, it appears, is pretty convincing. According to Tricia: "we have regulars who are completely addicted to our programs. We got a lot of orders from people working on airways for Airline. And Autochef attracted a lot of orders from the catering industry.

"The audience for our programs covers a broad range from about 13 years upwards. We sell a lot to colleges, particularly for accountancy and business courses. And we're selling heavily in university towns".

CCS's experience shows that you don't have to be in the high volume, highly competitive arcade games market to do good business. Its turnover for last year was a healthy £120,000. And Trieia added, "we're really seeing the breakthrough now."

Candice Goodwin