McKenzie & Co

An early CD-ROM game designed for Windows 95 by American Laser Games (under the label that was then known as Her Interactive. Her Interactive was spun off into its own company when American Laser Games declared bankruptcy . Her Interactive is still active today producing the successful Nancy Drew games). McKenzie & Co received a lot of press attention for being one of the few girl-oriented games developed in the United States. Her Interactive was one of the first companies in the United States established to specifically develop games for the female market.

While some think of McKenzie & Co as a GxB dating sim, a category which has been popular in Japanese markets, it was called a "social adventure" by its creators and classified as such in the majority of US retail outlets.

While the company behind it claimed feminist motivations, aspiring to help lead girls down the path of computers and technology, it was very controversial, and was considered sexist by many. Some concerns were that it pushed a stereotype of what teenage girls are like, with its emphasis on makeup, shopping, and dating.

This, however, was mitigated by the fact that the game was developed with the direct input of over 3000 Middle School and High School age girls in the Albuquerque Public School District. The research was done by the Her Interactive team before, during and after the game's development.

Regardless of controversy, the 5-CD game was quite successful, and sold over 80K units in its lifetime. It is now a difficult to find item. Even rarer is the expansion pack, McKenzie & Co : More Friends featuring new male characters James and Aaron. And much rarer still is the Demo CD for Mckenzie and Company made by Her Interactive.

The main game set included a music CD featuring several New Mexico bands, such as Poet, Cool Notes, Tee Green from the UK, and the Strawberry Zots, whose music video "And You" was also included. Music tracks from composer Jean Rene De Rascon were also included.

McKenzie & Co. is the name of the girl's car, and it stands for Marvelous, Cool, Kinetic Movement, Ever-lasting Friendship, Non-conformist, Zany, Ingenious, and Empowered.

Characters

 * Kim
 * A playable character. Gymnast/Cheerleader.


 * Carly
 * The other playable character. Actress.


 * Elizabeth
 * A friend.


 * Sam
 * A friend.


 * McKee
 * A friend.


 * Trish
 * A friend.


 * Brett
 * Potential prom date, cowboy type.


 * Steven
 * A potential prom date. Rich and upper-class.


 * Brandon
 * Another potential prom date. Drives a Porsche and has an obsession with marshmallows.


 * Derrick
 * Potential prom date, athletic.


 * James
 * In the expansion only, a potential prom date and rebellious biker.


 * Aaron
 * In the expansion only, a potential prom date who is an animal rights activist and vegetarian.

Related links

 * http://www.csoon.com/issue14/mckenzie.htm - A review