Roller Coaster Tycoon

Reviewed by Anise Hollingshead
Published by Hasbro Interactive/Microprose

Age Group: Age 8 and Up, Adults
Type: Social Studies, More Fun
Price: $30

Description:

Get set for the ride of your life with RollerCoaster Tycoon! Design the perfect theme park, replete with hair-raising rollercoasters, ferris wheels, log flumes, food and drink stands, plus lots more. Use the models provided for you, or craft your own masterpieces.

Microprose/Hasbro Interactive have outdone themselves with this title from Chris Sawyer, a veteran strategy game designer. Upon starting, you are presented with 5 possible scenarios for a theme park, each with its own scenario. You will either need to improve an existing park, or build one from scratch and make it successful. The sheer amount of choices you have for attractions will have you merrily adding structures everywhere, until you suddenly realise that your money is getting dangerously low and you need to stop your building craze temporarily. Besides the different kinds of rides you can design, you can also place stands for balloons, food, drinks and umbrellas. The details are well-done, with the patrons popping open their umbrellas when it rains, and walking around sipping on their cokes or chewing on their hamburgers. Beautify your park with scenery choices like shrubs, benches, gardens and fountains, but don't forget to place plenty of trashcans around, for these patrons are a messy bunch.

Features:

  • 21 total parks
  • Lots of rides!
  • Plenty of accessories
  • Can custom build attractions, or add pre-built ones
  • Real time play Ability to monitor guests' actions and thoughts
  • Add additional rides and scenarios from the website
  • Upload your creations to share them with the rest of the world
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Tutorial for beginners

Technical Aspects:

Everything installed smoothly, with no glitches. The minimum requirements are right on the money, as I played it on a P100 with no problems, save for the screen scrolling a trifle sluggishly when moving from one corner of the park to the other. The graphics are very detailed and brightly colored, with the guests being cute little people walking around in a cute manner, even managing to upchuck cutely. The rollercoasters are breathtaking to watch, and make you want to ride! I especially liked the way the stands look like their products they're selling.

The interface is simple and easy, with windows popping up for each function, rather in the manner of Windows on your desktop. They can get annoying, though, as you can't see your park under them, but have to keep moving them out of your way. The first time you play the game, you can watch the tutorial on who to do certain functions such as building a ride, and hiring your staff members. I would recommend staying with the pre-built rides the first few times you play, so as not to get overwhelmed with details until you get the hang of how the game works.

The game can be played easily just with visual clues, no audio necessary.

Report and Conclusions:

This game is FUN! Seeing just how wild a ride you can make without everyone flying into space has a large appeal, as does seeing just how unique-looking you can make a ride. I enjoy watching the guests walk around, and seeing how much they like or dislike certain aspects. There are not many management decisions you have to deal with on a constant basis, such as in a game like Caesar 3, so you can concentrate on your next Rembrandt of a rollercoaster without worrying too much about your park falling apart around you.

This is an excellent choice for your entire family, with no violence or blood, just plain entertainment! Even the youngest members can play by choosing the pre-built attractions, or by helping you in your designing. There are hours of gameplay here, with even more offered on their web site, so this is a great value for the money. I enthusiastically recommend it!