Popular series of Japanese
RPG/
Sim games. Originally came out for
DOS; it's since spread to
Super Famicom,
Playstation,
Sega Saturn,
Windows 95 and is threatening to spread to
Dreamcast as well. The concept behind the series is that you are a father who has to raise a daughter in a
fantasy setting. You chose her job, schooling and can even guide her on adventures.
Most of what I know about the series comes from the Princess Maker 2 release. It was translated by an American company but never went past beta stage due to groups complaining about the sexist nature of the game. Of course, copies are available on the net. No, I don't have one. Don't ask.
The game gets quite complicated fast - there's a lot of different qualities to your child that are determined before you start - blood type, astrology sign and other things. From there, it just gets worse. You have to make tradeoffs in your choice. Having your daughter do homework will raise her temperament and cooking skills, but it will make less sensitive. Or she could work as a lumberjack and get paid, but she'll be much less refined. There's also schooling, but that costs money. She can go out into the world and fight monsters, but she better have the proper skills and equipment. Yep, you get to dress her up. And if she gets too stressed out, she'll run away, so make sure you treat her properly.
Time passes in the game and your daughter grows up. There's a few regular events each year, but for the most part you get to choose exactly what she does. She'll grow up and get more options and choices, and eventually she'll leave home. Of course as a parent you want the best for her, and the game scores you on how she turns out both in work and love. There's a lot of different possible endings - pretty much every job is possible from maid to princess. Or of course, she can turn go bad and be a thief or worse. I managed to get one daughter married to Lucifer - whoops! It's a pretty fun and addictive game. There's a lot of secrets to find that depend on the path your daughter takes, so the replay value is good.