Theme Hospital

"Yoo'll laugh until you ache. The best, strategy game I would recommend to all gamers!"

Keep your fits of laughter and concentrate on this game. Seriously, this game is an absolute comic, filled with strange diseases to cure.

Graphics – 8
The movies are comic-rendered with nice, beautiful colours that you thought would be together with the game. Unfortunately, when playing the game, the graphics will not be as nice as the movies, just normal half-3D where people will walk around. Do not ever choose low-resolution graphics as it is twice uglier. Never mind, the gameplay should keep you occupied together with brilliant animations!

Music – 9
The background music has strings of notes that are sometimes strange and unusual to hear. But soon, you will not here all these things except concentrating on this game! Sound effects are totally cool. When you sack your workers, be sure to hear the funny sounds!

Gameplay – 9
Theme Hospital is really comical, in fact, too funny that you will be laughing instead of playing. You are now the manager and you will take control of a hospital and of course, there are more hospitals that you can control after finishing one level if you wish too (you’ll get a letter from the Health Ministry).

There are various sorts of patients, diseases, doctors, nurses, handymen, receptionists and other buildings. Diseases such as Bloaty Head and Slicky Tongue will make you laugh terribly. You’ll need to make the patients happy by giving them benches to sit, plants to make the patients feel clean and many more.

Doing things are just a matter of clicking buttons, moving around and if you need more space, you can buy another building! Sometimes, mayors will come to visit your hospital and that’s the time when you must be very clean to boost your hospital’s reputation and get more money!

If you can handle operations, cure patients without even killing them, the more money you will get. Building research room will make your hospital research new drugs to cure your patients. Make sure you don't kill your patients!

If you have cured enough patients, never killed a single patient, the heat is warm enough (there are enough radiators), enough seat for people, enough bank balance and etc., you can as well skip to the next level and prepare for more diseases, facilities, corridor items and stuffs!

Story – 6
The story is not a very interesting aspect for this game, probably how the game works is even better and I was quite surprised to know that this type of game has its own story. Well, The Health Ministry of Theme World has employed you, wisely or otherwise, to run their hospitals. You have to make the decisions that ultimately make or break your career. The better you do, the more points you score and the higher your salary goes. Do great and you'll be able to retire to the Bahamas before you reach fifty. Mess up and you won't have a pair of socks to your name.

Replayability – 8
You’ll always play this comical game without feeling bored (though I wonder whether I will). Frankly, this is one of the funniest and fun game I’ve ever played. A good strategy game to buy and play!

Overall – 9
Don’t think twice. Bullfrog has created such a funny game that you will sure to come back for more. A real, good game to buy and you won’t regret it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/06/00, Updated 05/06/00