diff --git a/lib/service/configuration_service.dart b/lib/service/configuration_service.dart
index 7da2ca6..93b89d7 100644
--- a/lib/service/configuration_service.dart
+++ b/lib/service/configuration_service.dart
@@ -4,7 +4,19 @@ class ConfigurationService {
   final EngineService engineService;
 
   bool showGrid;
-  int simSpeed;
+
+  int _simSpeed;
+
+  /// Simulation Speed
+  ///
+  /// Sets the number of updates the simulation takes per second. Can range from
+  /// 1 to arbitrarily high numbers (though setting it too high can potentially
+  /// make the app brittle).
+  int get simSpeed => _simSpeed;
+  void set simSpeed(int val) {
+    _simSpeed = val;
+    engineService.engine.stepsPerSecond = simSpeed;
+  }
 
   ConfigurationService(this.engineService) {
     showGrid = false;
diff --git a/lib/src/Engine.dart b/lib/src/Engine.dart
index 539e6d2..be3f31f 100644
--- a/lib/src/Engine.dart
+++ b/lib/src/Engine.dart
@@ -6,9 +6,22 @@ class Engine {
   // Elapsed Time Counter - useful for Safety Timeout
   Stopwatch _elapsed = new Stopwatch();
 
-  // Game Tick Rate - *does* impact game speed TODO add configurable option
+  /// Game Tick Rate
+  ///
+  /// *does* impact game speed; dictates how long each logic step takes. Only
+  /// interesting for engine internal calculations, to set simulation speed
+  /// from the outside use stepsPerSecond instead.
   int _MS_PER_STEP = 1000 ~/ 3;
 
+  /// Set Logic Updates per Second
+  ///
+  /// Dictates simulation speed. Sets the amount of (logic) updates per second.
+  /// Translations between number of updates and their timings is not exact so
+  /// comparing this variable to fixed ints might not yield the expected results.
+  /// Does not affect render frequency, which is handled by framesPerSecond.
+  int get stepsPerSecond => 1000 ~/ _MS_PER_STEP;
+  set stepsPerSecond(int val) => _MS_PER_STEP = 1000 ~/ val;
+
   // Max Frame (i.e. Rendering) rate - does *not* impact game speed
   final int _MS_PER_FRAME = 1000 ~/ 30;
 
diff --git a/pubspec.yaml b/pubspec.yaml
index 4cc6f88..a63ea9a 100644
--- a/pubspec.yaml
+++ b/pubspec.yaml
@@ -17,3 +17,4 @@ dev_dependencies:
   build_test: ^0.10.3+1
   build_web_compilers: ^0.4.0
   test: ^1.3.0
+  mockito: ^3.0.0
diff --git a/test/service/configuration_service_test.dart b/test/service/configuration_service_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1afa50a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/service/configuration_service_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import 'package:rules_of_living/src/Engine.dart';
+@TestOn('browser')
+
+import 'package:test/test.dart';
+import 'package:rules_of_living/service/configuration_service.dart';
+import 'package:rules_of_living/service/engine_service.dart';
+import 'package:mockito/mockito.dart';
+
+class MockEngine extends Mock implements Engine {}
+class MockEngineService extends Mock implements EngineService {
+  MockEngine _engine = MockEngine();
+  @override
+  Engine get engine => _engine;
+}
+
+void main() {
+  group("simulation speed", () {
+    ConfigurationService sut;
+    MockEngineService mes;
+    setUp(() {
+      mes = MockEngineService();
+      sut = ConfigurationService(mes);
+    });
+
+    test("speed changes propagate to engine", () {
+      sut.simSpeed = 312;
+      verify(mes.engine.stepsPerSecond=312);
+    });
+  });
+}
diff --git a/test/src/engine_test.dart b/test/src/engine_test.dart
index 0712ba8..43ea13e 100644
--- a/test/src/engine_test.dart
+++ b/test/src/engine_test.dart
@@ -17,12 +17,12 @@ void main() {
 
   test("Engine does not throw errors when calling render directly", () {
     // anonymous function necessary since throws can not use functions with args
-    expect(() => sut.render(), isNot(throwsNoSuchMethodError));
+    expect(() => sut.render, isNot(throwsNoSuchMethodError));
   });
 
   test("Engine does not throw errors when processing without attached canvas", () {
     // anonymous function necessary since throws can not use functions with args
-    expect(() => sut.process(1000), isNot(throwsNoSuchMethodError));
+    expect(() => sut.process, isNot(throwsNoSuchMethodError));
   });
 
   test("setCanvas allows setting a canvas for an engine at any point", () {