Sim Theme Park

"This game is pretty cool, but how much you like it depends on how much you want out of it."

Introduction: Being a huge roller coaster fan, I had to check this game out. It was (and still is) the only roller coaster game I have. SimTheme Park is not supposed to be about creating rides, but about managing a theme park. Bear that in mind as you decide whether or not you wish to buy this game.

Graphics and Sound: 4.2/10
The graphics leave a lot to be desired. Even when you pump them up to the max and use a good video card, they still aren't that great. When you are in the normal viewing, the graphics are decent. Not great, but decent. You will be able to survive with them. But when you are riding the rides or in camcorder mode, the graphics are crap. The park's visitors are 2-D, and everything has a blockly look to it. Definitely not good.
The sounds aren't that great either. Also, this annoying little helper dude always pops up and tries to give you advice about your park. Pretty much, you're a lot better off if you just turn the game's sounds off.

Controls: 9.5/10
The controls are great. They use simple keyboard shortcuts to open up various windows, saving a lot of times. Not too hard to learn and easy to use. For example, typing the letter “s” brings up information on all the staff in your park. Pretty easy. And very useful.

Difficulty: 5/10
A little too easy. Once you get the hang of it, building a park is just too easy. All you have to do is figure out how to manage your money well and take it slow. Then your park will just flow together. This game should be a little more challenging. But if you like easy games, this won't be a problem for you.

Ride Creation: 7.8/10
It's very easy to create roller coaster and other track-oriented rides in this game. Very simple. You just make the track, then edit it. There's plenty of ways to edit your track, such as tilting the track, raising/lowering it, turning the pylon, building loops, and several others. Your tracks can be either very short or very long, very technical and crazy, or very simple. It's up to you.

Park Management: 8.5/10
There are some really cool features when it comes to managing your parks. Such features include:
1. Researching new rides
2. Training your staff
3. Controlling prices of shops/sideshows
4. Controlling ticket prices
5. Taking out loans
The game gets pretty in-depth when it comes to management of the park, which is what makes this game good. Like I've said, you just have to get the hang of it.

Game Play: 8.5/10
The game play is very simple and easy to pick up on. There are lots of features that you can use to make your park better, such as adding simple things like trees to bigger things like shops. Your park can be big, your park can be small. The game play itself, however, is also very good.

Overall: 7/10
How much you enjoy this game really depends on what you are playing it for. If you are playing it just to build rides, you won't like this game. Believe me. But if you are trying to manage a theme park, you will probably enjoy it. Sure, the graphics and sounds leave a lot to be desired and this game is pretty easy, but its still a fun game to play, and its not that expensive anymore. So if you are debating whether or not to get this game, just ask yourself one question:
What do I want out of this game?

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/14/04