What could be a better job than spending the day at the fair? "Rollercoaster Tycoon" is all about theme parks and building giant rollercoasters. This game will provide you with hours of enjoyment, without dealing with the crowds and noise at a real theme park.

Graphics
You won't find over the top 3D graphics here. The graphics are cartoonish with lots of vibrant colors, just as you would expect at a theme park. Even though they may not be realistic, they are of good quality and fit the game perfectly. I have no complaints with the images. Simple is sometimes better, especially in this case.

Sound
You'll want to keep the sound on for this game. As you watch over the park, the sounds change to what is going on in a particular part you are in. You'll hear the merry-go-round playing cheerful music, the haunted house's ghost, screaming on rollercoasters, and shouts of delight. Generally, if there is constant music playing in the background, I'll turn off the sound. However, this time I made sure I had the music on. Without the sound, you'll miss the true park experience every owner should have.

Gameplay
Advertise, build shops, stalls, and rides, create giant rollercoasters you wouldn't even attempt to ride, and boost prices are a few things you can do. To get visitors to your park, you need to build a few types of rides. You'll need thrilling rides, gentle rides, and plenty of food to eat. You have a research department that is constantly at work creating new entertainment. The more money you put into research, the faster the results, and the happier your guests will be. An important part of the game is keeping the park clean and the rides running. In order to do this, you must hire mechanics to inspect and fix the rides, and handymen to water plants, mow the grass, sweep the paths, and take care of trash. It's very easy to keep the staff in order; you just need to assign them specific areas to work in.

The funniest part is, of course, building the rides and watching the visitors lining up to try it out. As expected, there is a large variety of rollercoasters to build. Since you can build your own, the possibilities are endless. At times it can be frustrating building a rollercoaster. Terrain, lack of money, and mistakes are obstacles that can slow down the building process. Curious about what your guests are thinking and want? Just click on one, and a message box will pop up with information about hungry, energy, thrist, thoughts, what they spent their money on, and items they're carrying.

Overall Impression
I was kept busy for hours with waiting for that next ride to be built, remodeling, and playing with ride prices to watch the effects. It will only become dull if you let it. You don't have to love fairs or theme parks to love this game. It's a game for all ages to play. Kids will love it, and for adults it may bring back some memories. It's a great game to give a friend you are trying to get into simulation games. The game ran smoothly, and doesn't appear to have major bugs. If you want a game that will keep your attention, and not get tired of after 10 hours of gameplay, try "Rollercoaster Tycoon."

Minimum PC System Requirements
Processor Type: Intel® Pentium® processor
Processor Speed: 90MHz
Operating System: Windows 95/98
System Memory: 16MB RAM
Hard Drive Space: 50MB
Video: 1MB SVGA
Sound Card: Windows 95/98-compatible
Drive Type and Speed: CD-ROM 4x
DirectX 5.0
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