RollerCoaster Tycoon

The Good
This sim city-like game is much more layed back than others, but fun at the same time. For lack of better wording, it inspires creativity.

The Bad
I never was partial to sim games. Once you build a big city (or in this case, amusement park,) the fun just seems to go away.

The Bottom Line
It's a sim game, where you build stuff, try to keep the people happy and make money. One of the better ones, I think.

The Good
I liked designing roller coasters, You have to master all the little tricks of the game to make a perfect coaster park, and then after that you have to branch out and learn all the tips like bathroom to drink stall ratio, and then comes the expansion packs! It sounds like a lot of work, but actually its fun- especially if you actually become a tycoon. This is the kind of game that you can play over and over. I'm actually on my third year and I have two expansion packs and they're NOT DONE! I keep re-playing the same scenarios.

The Bad
I didn't like a couple of scenarios, and of course the ever-present threat of drowning. Also, the hamburger and pizza stalls make me hungry.

The Bottom Line
So addictive, I miss dinner!! And I happen to be an eat-aholic!

The Good
This game has everything. If you want a realistic simulation of running your own amusement park, that also manages to be a heck of a lot of fun (I found myself playing this thing for 5 hours straight. Really), then Roller Coaster Tycoon is definitely for you. The detail to which the designers went through to make the simulation realistic is amazing... You can click on any one of the tiny little guests that enter your park, purchase your food and merchandise, and, of course, go on your rides until they throw up, and find out exactly what they're thinking, what they're carrying, and how much money they've spent. In addition, the ability to create your own track layouts is a lot of fun... You can make almost any kind of roller coaster you can imagine.

The Bad
I was frustrated by the inability to start your park completely from scratch. There's no way to create your own terrain, or buy your own land. You have to start from one of the precreated scenarios, and work towards a preset goal. Another thing I found annoying was the music... The same darn merry-go-round style organ music plays over and over and over, until it gets really irritating. Fortunately, it only happens when you move your screen near a merry-go-round.

The Bottom Line
A really spectacular game. Great graphics, and top notch gameplay combine to form the absolute best theme park simulation game of all time.