Theme Hospital

"Game players, please report to video game store to buy this game."

Introduction
Theme Hospital, marketed by Bullfrog, is a simulation hospital game that was released in 1995. I had never heard of the game, since it's not as popular in my country as it is in others. When I first got the game, I thought it would be a stupid, silly game that was a rip-off of the Sim's. Too wrong I was.

Story- 8/10
Not a big plot here, but a very enjoyable one. You play as an ambitious hospital manager who is just trying to successful. In order to that, you'll have to build the rooms, hire the staff, and manage other aspects to create a superb hospital. You have to hire doctors, nurses, receptionists, and even janitors to clean up after your…well…less than considerate patients. Once in a while, a VIP will visit and you have to impress him: no mess, happy patients, and efficient staff. Once you reach the level's quota, you progress to a different level with different diseases and staff options. If you don't meet the level's quota, you're fired from the job and a rather incriminating newspaper article about you is shown. Ick, we don't want that to happen.

Graphics- 8/10
The graphics of Theme Hospital are cartoony and fun, which reflect the game's tone. The sprites are quirky and colorful and really interact with their surroundings. They really seem to fit the game because, along with music, they seem to radiate with a light-hearted nature that makes the game that much more enjoyable.

Music and Sound- 8/10
The sound of Theme Hospital is great overall. Usually, background music can be repetitive and annoying, but not Theme Hospital's. The music is fresh and interesting, so you won't have to crank the sound to ''OFF''. The music is perky and light-hearted, which really fits the game well. You'll be curing diseases such as Bloaty Head and Television Personalities, so the silliness of the gameplay is accompanied by the silliness of the music, and it works out great. The sound affects are realistic as well. One of my favorites is the receptionist who shouts several things over the intercom; one of them being ''Doctor required in GP's Office!''

Game play- 10/10
One word for the game play: Perfect. The game is almost absolutely flawless. It never gets old, never. I've played the game countless times and not once, have I been bored. You advance through the game by achieving financial and patient-curing quotas throughout the different levels. You move through a board game-like map, where the levels only get harder and more complex. You'll first want to hire a receptionist, that's key, and then build some diagnosis rooms. Each room is built completely the way you want it. You decide the length, width, number of windows, and what extra things to put inside, like trash bins and radiators. The most common diagnosis room is the GP's office, where most of your patients will then learn what strange illness they possess. If not, they'll head off to other diagnosis rooms such as General Diagnosis. Once the ailment is learned, it's time for treatment! There are many ways to be cured. The Pharmacy is probably the most common, where several diseases are treated with just a simple medicine. The Psychiatric room is perfect for curing the whackos that you'll meet in your hospital. Oh, and we can't forget the Inflator room, which is perfect for patients with swelled heads. You'll encounter numerous diseases throughout the course of the game, some even requiring more rooms to be built, such as Jelly Legs. More diagnosis rooms will be available, such as X-Ray and Scanner, and you'll be given much higher quotas. This game has totally immersive gameplay that will keep the reader on his or her toes for hours.

Replay Value- 8/10
Like I've stated before, this game is timeless. It's always a great game to play when you want something fun and light-hearted. However, I will admit, after you've beaten the game four times, there really isn't much left to do. True, you could try building your hospital in different ways, but it can get a tad old. It isn't meant to be a game that is played for months and months at a time, but rather a game that is amazing to play for a week or two.

Conclusion
All in all, this game is my favorite PC game of all time. Nothing comes close! Therefore, I give it a 10/10. I encourage anyone to buy this game and find out that it's one brilliant game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/03, Updated 06/23/06