Railroad Tycoon

"Ancient, yes, dead, certainly not"

Railroad Tycoon, self explanatory if nothing else. You run a railroad around different continents, and if you play your cards right the railroad gradually expands and grows, defeating the competitors and gaining supremacy in the continent you happen to be playing in.

As always, the graphics and music get a mention first. This game came out in 1993, but you wouldn't think it by looking at it (and no, it isn't because the graphics and music are so ahead of their time). They are both the summit of absolute mediocrity, the graphics being extraordinarily ugly and the music representing something close to Pong. The graphics are the the standard (back then) 2D, but there is little detail, and no use of shading or use of any special graphical techniques. The music is even worse, using the internal sound card in the PC itself to make bleeping noises rather than speakers. I'm sure even in 1993 sound cards were a little more refined.

But this shouldn't act as a deterrent, for the game is sublime everywhere else i.e. the gameplay. At first I must admit the game failed to hook me in, and first thoughts were ''What have I spent my money on???''. But as I played more and more, I was slowly being drawn in. Homework was secondary. Social life was non existent. Eating was of little relative importance anymore, for I swore that by time the sun set, I WOULD connect London to Manchester, such is the addictive nature of Railroad Tycoon.

The simplicity of the description of graphics and so on don't do justice to what really is a quite complicated, yet rewarding game. Indeed, a business acumen is welcome here! This is a challenge that knows no boundaries, not necessarily because of the computer A.I.. This game is naturally programmed to be very hard work.

The main 'hook' of the game is the arrangement of freight, and where you expand your railroad to. Each station that you put in on your railroad has two things associated with business - supply and demand i.e. the supply of freight the station gives, and the demand of goods that the station wants. Your job is to balance this out to an extent that satisfies the two. By doing this profits will surely follow.

But you find you made a loss! Why is that? Maybe the train to Washington has a passenger carriage too much, which is slowing the train down? Or are there too many trains going to New York at the same time? Or perhaps you are oversaturating the grain market in Boston, lowering the price you get for its delivery? So you go around making adjustments to the trains. Good news! The profits are rolling in! This makes for a good time to expand!

But what is this? The computer player to the west is buying your stock in droves! This can only be a hostile takeover bid! Buy your stock back before it's too late! Good thing too, for that player could have rendered your business redundant had it taken over! Back to expansion, what cities have high supply yields? Plenty, but any your stations need? Yes, Boston could have the mail from Detroit! Build the rails there, place a station, build the train and carriages to take them. Oh, the trains I presently have are becoming slow, better update them with new models!

This complex yet addictive cocktail is exquisite in its refinement to perfection and still has me playing after over 8 years!

The execution of the game is exemplary of how any game of its ilk should be - addictive due to the progression of a level rather than the completion of it, and there lies my final point. The levels are the type you can't complete, the basis of the game being to score as many points as you can by time you declare your stance in the game by resignation. This in itself makes the game a classic because of the 'must beat score at all costs' gameplay.

The simplicity of the description doesn't do justice to what really is a quite complicated, yet rewarding game. Indeed, a business acumen is welcome here! This is a challenge that knows no boundaries, not necessarily because of the superb computer A.I.(that by the way can be set to different levels). This game is naturally programmed to be very hard.

Overall, if someone were to say to me ''Should I buy this?'' I would say ''You would be a fool not to!''. Why? Well, apart from the favourable description of the game, it is now in the Sold Out selection of games i.e. it costs £5. FIVE POUNDS buys you a part of gaming history that will last you a huge amount of time. So, I say BUY BUY BUY!

BOTTOM LINE - If you played trains when you were younger, and now you are a sensible adult, shame on you! But buy the game!

Games like this are:
Railroad Tycoon II (PC) - Now on the Xplosiv budget range
Rollercoaster Tycoon (PC)
Transport Tycoon (PSX)
Probably any other games with 'Tycoon' at the end of it! (PC, PSX, whatever)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/01/02, Updated 04/01/02