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Gaming and Electronic Entertainment
October 2000• Vol.8 Issue 10 Page(s) 70 in print issue
RollerCoaster Tycoon & Corkscrew Follies Expansion Pack

Jump to first occurrence of: [ROLLERCOASTER]

ESRB: E (Everyone)
Availability: Now
MicroProse/Hasbro Interactive
http://www.hasbrointeractive.com
/microprose

If you have always dreamed of running your own theme park, say hello to RollerCoaster Tycoon. This game puts you in charge of all aspects of theme park construction and maintenance, including hiring staff, building additional restrooms, and landscaping and designing the park. Game play consists of a variety of scenarios you can choose from, each one giving you a goal to accomplish, such as “achieve 500 visitors and $3,000 by the end of two years.” Some scenarios let you go nuts; others put you in charge of an existing park you need to upgrade.

Although park design and maintenance are fun, many will find the real draw of the game lies in its ride creation. You can choose from many different ride types, such as water rides and mild rides, when deciding what to place in your park, but you’ll definitely want to design a roller coaster. You can make it wild by putting in turns, twists, and plummeting angles, but then you need to test the ride to make sure it is safe (and physically possible). To finish, choose a ticket price, open the door, and watch the people flock in.

The Corkscrew Follies expansion pack (see screen shot) adds new types of roller coasters and rides (such as The Steel Wild Mouse), new scenery, and more than 25 new scenarios to RollerCoaster Tycoon. An added perk to both is the RollerCoaster Tycoon Web site (http://www.rollercoastertycoon.com/), where you can download patches and exchange rides with other players, as well as enter design competitions.

This highly detailed and colorful game is very addictive. Those who like SimCity but are looking for something a little more whimsical to build should give RollerCoaster Tycoon a shot.

by Rich Gray

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