SimCoaster

The Good
In this pseudo-sequel to Theme Park World, Bullfrog has shifted the focus of play to achieving goals rather than the open-endedness of its predecessors. In each of the three worlds available, there are blocked-off sections of park and latent attractions that are waiting to be activated. To do this you must meet different challenges such as keeping a certain level of happiness in the park for a certain amount of time, or prevent a certain ride from dropping below a certain level of repair. By doing this, you earn golden tickets which you can put towards activating the hidden elements of the park, as long as you have trained the needed personnel to do the job. This new way of playing adds more incentive to keep going, and some of the challenges are surprisingly tough to accomplish. You can tackle these assignments in any order and at any time you like, so it never seems to hold you back from enjoying the other part of the game, which is building rides, concession stands and sideshows to make your park the greatest one around.

The Bad
I call this a pseudo-sequel, because the whole thing really comes off more like an add-on pack to TPW. The graphics engine is the same, and the AI is still as frustratingly annoying with your workers blatantly ignoring your orders, and wandering around one section of their patrol route while the other part goes all to Hell. I'm not sure what the gardener is good for, but it sure isn't for landscape care as you can have three of them with overlapping patrol routes and your fauna will still perish left and right. The on-screen announcements by your helper just add to the confusion, doing things like telling you to put your scientists to work even though there's nothing currently for them to research. And you can tell that this current incarnation of Bullfrog is only a pale shadow of the former great Molyneux days by simply listening to the sound. It is oddly sterile, doing absolutely nothing to draw you into the game. And this version carries on the great travesty that it's predecessor did, that of the horrible technique of building coasters. While arch-rival Rollercoaster Tycoon really put forward the feeling that one was wraughting wooden and metal giants out of cold lumber and steel, with SimCoaster you merely stretch paper-thin textures like taffy over hollow pylons, an entirely unsatisfying experience and totally defeating what's probably the main draw for people buying a game with 'Coaster' in the title...building coasters.

The Bottom Line
However, I'd still recommend picking up SimCoaster, even if you already have Theme Park World. The new challenge system adds quite a lot of fun to the game, and will keep you playing to see what's next. Now get out there and create a park that would make Walt's cryogenically frozen head proud!