ROLLER-COASTER TYCOON
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Warning: this is addictive

By PATRICK ANDREWS

When it comes to computer tycoons, Chris Sawyer is up there with the best of them. Not in a Bill Gates' sort of way, well not yet, but the man who developed a solid game with Transport Tycoon seems to have a real winner with Rollercoaster Tycoon.

The game is similar in style to Bullfrog's successful 1994 title, Theme Park, but has improved graphics, smoother interface and a huge boost in creative options and attention to detail, providing a highly addictive package. Theme Park 2 is apparently on the drawing board, but Sawyer has set Bullfrog a tough act to follow.

The mission-based scenarios in Rollercoaster Tycoon put you in charge of managing a series of theme parks, with typical goals being a certain number of customers or a set park rating by a given date. In some scenarios you start with a vacant block of land, in others you take control of an existing park and have to guide it to prosperity. But the management required is rarely taxing to the point where it becomes a chore.

The game allows you to create marketing campaigns, set prices, hire staff, monitor customer reaction, provide new facilities and, above all, build rides. Oh yes, the rides. Be warned, this is where serious addiction - of the eating-is-optional, must-build-more-rides type - can kick in.

At the start you are given access to a series of theme park favourites from the gentle carousels to more challenging rollercoasters, but your research produces an amazing array of building options.

Not surprisingly, given the title of this game, it is the rollercoasters that offer the most scope for creativity. Loops, twists, corkscrews, sudden plunges, even inverted rides are possible as you try to produce a mechanical masterpiece.

Creating new rides is easy to pick up, but there's great complexity as you delve deeper. Getting the design just right needs to balance excitement, safety and that critical consideration, the nausea factor. Can't have the little punters feeling too sick to enjoy our over-priced fast food, now, can we?

There are far more dire consequences for the gullible guinea pigs _ sorry, paying customers _ if you get overly ambitious in your quest for thrills, or forget to assign enough mechanics to oversee ride maintenance. Some customers are just dying to try your latest inventions.

When you are satisfied that your ride is just right, you have the option of uploading it to the game's website, www.rollercoastertycoon.com, or downloading the official add-on rides and scenarios. You can also pick from thousands of rides designed by other sleep-deprived gamers.

ORIGINALITY 80%
SOUND/GRAPHICS 75%
PLAYABILITY 95%
ADDICTION 90%
ENJOYMENT 90%