Theme Hospital

"No Bob, it's YOUR turn to clean up after the epidemic patients."

Ah... Bullfrog. They've managed to take a concept that would put anyone to sleep and turned it into one of the most entertaining gaming experiences I've ever seen.

Graphics:10/10

Though dated by today's standards, the graphics are still very good. The different looks for each disease, the weird machines you get with each clinic, and, ah yes, the sleep deprived crazy looking doctors. Every part of the game has detailed animations for everything from using the vending machine to vomiting in the General Practitioners office.

The cut scenes are nothing special. They aren't the best CG animation you'll find, but they still sport the tacky yet often humorous style Bullfrog is known for, which is a definite plus.

Sounds:10/10

All done superbly. Why, just scroll over one of your hospitals bathrooms and you'll be delighted (or disgusted, take your pick) at the wide variety of sounds this game offers for each action.

Music:8/10

It all works. You can load your own midis if you want, but what is initially offered isn't really all too shabby.

Controls:10/10

The layout is nice. Everything is easily accessible and you will rarely find yourself trying to figure out what you have to do.

Gameplay:8/10

There's no denying that this game is a great deal of fun with a healthy dose of difficulty. However, after you get to a certain point this game turns evil on you. Your hospital will nearly explode in a matter of a minute regardless of how hard you try to keep it in check. So be forewarned, unless you have greater than godlike abilities at this type of game, you'll just want to quit when you get to that point... which is a shame, considering the game gets crazy right about the time you get to experience the more zany and entertaining diseases.

Train your crappy doctors, cut apart your patients to further research progress, and make sure you have enough staff rooms so that your staff doesn't go spastic on you, there's plenty to do to keep your hospitals running in peak condition.

Epidemics, earth quakes, emergencies, rat hunting (literally, you get a shotgun)... outside of the regular day to day running's of the hospital you have plenty to keep you occupied.

Replay Value:7/10

This is where the game suffers slightly. Though it is extremely fun... the point where it gets ridiculous leaves you in a hard spot. You want to keep playing the game, but you can't win and starting from square one isn't that appealing either.

The patch for the game barely rectifies any problems. Easy mode still makes you cry for your mama at the same point in the game. The multiplayer is somewhat intriguing, but more of a novelty than anything else.

Buy?
Finding this game nowadays is not easy. If you can find it by all means buy it. Despite it's shortcomings this game was truly a very bright day in simulation game history.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/26/03, Updated 07/26/03