SimCity 2000

The Good
I personally didn't like the top-down view of the original SimCity very much. The new isometric view is simply great since you can see your city from a much wider angle. You can even rotate the view in 90-degree increments, which gives a pseudo-3D impression.

The graphics look glorious in 256-color 640x480 SVGA. You can see all the tiny details thanks to the higher color depth and resolution. The interface is polished -- using the toolbar is much more intuitive. A new help feature (pressing the Shift key while clicking on an icon) greatly reduces the learning curve as well.

The terrain has now elevations, which can be completely customized. So instead of relying the random land generation algorithm, you can create hills, mountains, waterfalls, lakes, etc. on your own.

The addition of "light zones" is a definite plus. In this way you can rid of those ugly apartment buildings. You can now build elementary schools, high schools, and colleges to give a broad range of education options to your citizens. In addition you can also build hospitals and zoos, which the original lacked.

The Bad
You will need a fast 486 or Pentium for a smooth gaming experience.

The Bottom Line
SimCity 2000 is a classic piece of realistic simulation software which is both fun and addicting. Prepare to spend hundreds of hours on this "game".