Genre: Simulation
Developer: Chris Sawyer Productions
Publisher: Microprose

Very basic. VERY, VERY basic. Like The Sims, it runs even on my parents' ancient PC. Anyway, there is not much to say. Um...basic.

The original Roller Coaster Tycoon only has music being played for a few select rides: bumper cars, merry-go-round. If you buy the expansions you can have any ride play a sound, but can only chose from approximately 10 to 15 different choices. Otherwise there are sounds for screaming (on the roller coasters), throwing up, toilets flushing (bathrooms), and chatting. The sounds fit into the game-- it sounds like a real amusement park.

Personally, I love the game. I never played any other theme park type game so I have nothing to compare it to like Sniper, and in all honesty I like it. It is easy to get into and understand. There are no tricks in the game and it usually runs pretty smoothly.

Once you get the hang of what the guests want, and what they do not, and you like the original, I would recommend buying one or both of the expansion packs (Loopy Landscapes and Corkskrew Follies). They have more rides and tougher senarios. The original was too easy with a little practice.

Genre: Simulation
Developer: Chris Sawyer Productions
Publisher: Microprose

The game consists solely of sprites, and not very well rendered ones at that- the people could have been rendered by the NES, and the rides, while having a nice 3d-ish appearance, are very grainy looking due to poor shading. The game can only be viewed from 45% angles, which is very awkward when designing a rollercoaster, and downright annoying when trees begin to completely cover the pathes. In 1995, these would have been average graphics; Warcraft II looks nicer.

The game has one song (the theme that plays at the title screen) and a bunch of short and repetetive "mini-songs" which are played when certain rides are active. The music sounds just a notch above general midi, sans wavetable- In other words, not very impressive. The sound effects are likewise very ordinary, with a generic chime sound playing every few seconds when someone buys something or goes on a ride.

The game features a plethora of rides and shop kiosks, along with the ability to construct your own rollercoasters, race car tracks, water slides, and a few other goodies. Track construction is a bit tedious, as getting parts of the track to connect can be a chore due to the many restrictions of how the pieces can fit together.

Reminds me a lot of Bullfrog's Theme Park, only much more shallow, and not as much fun. For a younger child or a simulation newbie, this title makes for a good introduction to the genre. For a hardcore sim buff, pick up a copy of Sim City 3000 or Theme Park instead, as Rollercoaster Tycoon lacks the depth of gameplay to satisfy.