|
Financier |
Financier is a financial equation solving application for the VideoBrain and was packaged with most VideoBrain units (although it was also sold separately). Financier allows the user to enter values into one of twelve different preset financial equations such as Net Present Value, Return on Investment, Future Value of Annuity, etc., and display the results using bar graphs. Financier also allows the user to enter their own formulas if they so desire.
While Financier is extremely powerful (well back in 1978 anyway), entering formulas is somewhat cumbersome. The interface isn't very user friendly, so the user needs to consult the instruction manual often. I'm sure Financier was a wonderful tool for those who learned how to use it, but it obviously doesn't have much use in this day and age other than as a reminder of just how far we've come.
Interestingly there are two label variations for
Financier. One as a solid green stripe all the way
across the top of the cart, with the title in small letters,
while the other only has the green stripe go halfway across
the cart and has the title in much larger letters. The
latter variation looks more like the rest of the VideoBrain
cartridges, so this may be a later version. Both
cartridges have identical boxes however. Another
interesting side note is that the cartridge identifies itself
as VB-81 (the part number for the game) on the title
screen. According to early advertisements Financier was
originally called Finance 1, indicating that they
may have been planning another Finance cart (Money Minder
perhaps?).
Here's a scan of the end labels so you can see the
difference: End
Labels
