Product Description

Atari (26525) Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Expans ... Read more

Features

• Design dazzling laser light water shows — and synch them to music
• Create wildlife spectaculars with performing dolphins, killer whale shows, and customizable aquariums
• Splash, swirl, and “stir up” your park guests with incredible interactive water
• Select more than 50 new rides and coasters for your water park
• Add hundreds of new park enhancements with the Swimming Pool Designer and Waterfall Designer

Reviews (3)

Best Game I Have Ever Played
This is an awesome game. I played with it for hours on end

There is one gotcha
Be aware that RT 3 _requires_ 32 MB of graphic memory. You can't run it on early PowerBooks for example. It also strongly prefers a 2- or 3-button mouse.

A good update, but hardly a new game
After anxiously waiting for a Mac release of Railroad Tycoon 3, I find that it's a much-needed upgrade of Railroad Tycoon 2. However, that's really all it is -- I'd be tempted to call it Railroad Tycoon 2.5 rather than 3. There are probably enough changes to track building and industries to warrant a new version number, but other than that and a few interface changes, RT3 is essentially the same game as RT2.

The most obvious difference is in the graphics. The new 3-D engine is fantastic. You can actually watch the side rods of most of the steam engines go round and round. Tracks are a bit high off the ground, which is a little distracting at first, but overall the graphics are a huge improvement.

Track laying is substantially improved from the previous version of the game, as well. Most significant is the return of tunnels, one of the most maligned omissions in RT2. You can also build a bridge over another railroad or duck under an existing bridge, a feature fans of this game series have long wished for.

Gone is the grid with its limitations of tracks at only eight angles. You can now create smooth, sweeping curves at any angle you please. That said, the gradients could use some tweaking. Particularly annoying are the ramps leading to bridges. It's silly to have a 3% grade just because you're crossing a river. Likewise, I found it very difficult to create a railroad in even slightly hilly terrain that didn't resemble a roller coaster. And don't think this is a model layout design aid, either. It's impossible to force tracks to go where you want them.

Maintenance shops and service towers are now separate elements. You can't place a service tower at a depot and have a locomotive serviced while it's making its station stop. This hurts the game's realism a bit and can be annoying if, like me, you're used to the old style station expansions. The good news is that such facilities can be placed anywhere, even where there's no station, and you can demolish them to save money when they are no longer useful.

The construction and demolition tools aren't all that intuitive. To bulldoze a building, for example, you have to enter the track building interface and select the bulldozer. And industry construction is done from the station building interface. No doubt this was done to minimize the number of tool buttons in the main interface, but it feels klunky -- especially if you're used to the old RT2 interface.

While access to the controls has changed somewhat, most of the core game controls will look extremely familiar to anyone who's played RT2. Building and changing train consists works essentially the same way as in RT2, with a few excellent additions. One major change is the "auto manage" option which autmatically sets the train's consist depending on what loads are available at the station. You can select the minimum and maximum number of cars on each train, and select whether the train will carry any kind of car, just freight cargoes, or just express cargoes. You can also manually control the trains' consists. For more realism it would be nice if passenger cars were always placed together in the consist, but I'll admit that's picking a very small nit.

A couple of very handy shortcuts have also been added to train building, including the ability to copy trains. Mac users will find this process rather klunky and very un-Mac-like, but at least it's there and works. One new feature I really like is the ability to replace locomotives based on their class or age. This comes in very handy for keeping your locomotive fleet current. There's also a checkbox which will make the consist the same at all stations in the train's route. Beware, though -- the change happens as soon as you check the box and isn't undoable by unchecking the box!

The economy and stock market works essentially the same as it did in RT2. You can buy and sell shares of your railroad or your competitors, set your company's dividend, sell bonds, and sell stock. Selling stock is just as useless for raising money as it was in the previous version, even though you're now allowed two sales of stock per year instead of just one. You also still have to have a good credit rating to sell a bond.

I haven't gotten into the map editor yet, but from reading the manual, RT3 seems to have the one limitation I was afraid it would have -- you can't use maps from RT2. With the huge number of user-built maps from RT2, this is probably the biggest disappointment in the entire game. It's understandable, however, given the number of changes made to the industries and track building. Still, some sort of conversion utility would be nice for map developers so we don't have to start from scratch.

All in all, this is a fair upgrade over the previous version of the game. I'm not all that sure that this version was worth either the wait for the Mac port or the $45 price tag, but now that I have it I certainly won't be getting rid of it! ... Read more

Features

• New multiplayer game for up to 7 players
• In-depth strategy game covering almost every aspect of real-world business
• Develop your own technology or acquire it from another company
• Choose from over 60 product types to manufacture and market
• Vivid 3D graphics show off a bustling city environment

Reviews (3)

Capitalism 2... It's unlike anything on the market!
I'd rather not bore you with a lengthy, sugar-coated review.If you are into business/tycoon games at all, and enjoy dealing with finances, the stock market, analyzing charts, etc. then this is the game for you!Like I said, when it comes to depth and addictiveness, It's unlike anything on the market, especially for $10!!

Awesome game!
I love this game!Great business simulation with many different ways to play.

Review abstracted by Capalive.com
Professor Thomas Kosnik,
Consulting Professor, Stanford School of Engineering, and Lecturer, Harvard Business School , Technology Today, CNBC-TV Cable
"Capitalism is a world class, hands-on learning experience which I've used at Stanford School of Engineering and Harvard Business School. Gamers not only learn the subtleties of growing an entrepreneurial business but also learn about leadership and team building necessary in any business situation." "Capitalism is very realistic and will allow the dynamics to change depending on whether you're selling a cola product, which is sort of a low tech-branded consumer good, or whether your selling consumer electronics or a PC."

Professor Drew Fudenberg
Harvard University
"This game does an excellent job of modeling many of the key aspects of modern business. Not all aspects of it are realistic, but enough of them are that many sensible strategies are encouraged. In particular it's gratifying to me to see that the game rewards thinking about sources of long-term competitive advantage, be it from brand recognition, low production costs gained from learning-by-doing (a nice touch!), a monopoly on high quality inputs, or a big technological lead."

Businessweek, October 21, 1996
Capitalism isn't just for those who aspire to be the next Michael Dell or Sam Walton. It can be a fun and useful exercise for anyone who wants to test their entrepreneurial mettle without, for once, taking any risk. Players can choose to compete against computer-controlled rivals in four different industries: farming, manufacturing, raw material mining, and retailing. For a truly adventurous and time-consuming game, players can mix and match industries as captains of giant conglomerates. As in the real world, players compete locally, in one city, or fight it out on the global stage.
With so many possibilities, Capitalism is an intense strategy game, much like chess, where players must constantly think ahead. As such, it could easily overwhelm novices. But by adjusting several factors--competency and managerial style of the computer-controlled rivals, for example, can be varied from very aggressive to conservative--gameplay can be suited to various styles and speed. The game even allows a player to hire presidents to manage the day-to-day operations of different divisions so the player can concentrate on the big picture.

Far Eastern Economic Review, September 26, 2002
The mass market isn't the only audience for Chan's games. Like Virtual U, Capitalism has made the leap from game room to classroom. Because of its high degree of realism, the game has been used by professors at institutions like Harvard and Stanford Universities to help students learn basic business principles. Chan is hoping that Restaurant Empire and Hotel Giant will also be adopted for training and education. "Simulation games are a fun way to learn about anything," he says. "They prove that computer games aren't just about shooting things but can also be educational."

CNN - 22nd May 2002
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN Correspondent
Some guys have all the luck. They have the billion dollar market cap, the brand, and the empire, while the rest of us spend our lives toiling away in cubicles with no chance to ever run the show. That is until now. Even the desk jockey can claw his way to the top in "Capitalism," the game.Hong Kong game developer Trevor Chan just released the follow-up to the award-winning original, but the objective is the same. Move your assets to turn an upstart into the most profitable company in the world. First-time players can choose a challenge like, the world in your hands, where you manage a research and development lab out to post annual revenues of $400 million, and as you take on the competition, that's when the real drama begins.But "Capitalism" is no Business 101. Critics call it a deep involving game that could test even the sharpest business document. In fact, it's been used as a simulation exercise for business students at Stanford University. ... Read more

Product Description

The ultimate shopping mall simulation has returned!

With radically enhanced graphics, a streamlined and improved user interface, more staff and items to unlock, and the ability to build up to 9 stories high, Mall Tycoon 2 offers all the great playability and fun of the original game and much, much more.

This entertaining sequel still lets you design, build and manage the shopping mall of your dreams, with drastic improvements to every category of game play. Customize your mall with a virtually infinite combination of shop types and decor, hire staff members and balance your payroll. Unlock over 75 new items and staff members and add improvements like heating systems, solar panels, plumbing and exotic plants to turn your mall into a true shopping Mecca.

Watch as hundreds of customers shop, eat, rest and interact in an ultra-realistic 3D environment filled with surprises. Run promotions such as fashion shows and circuses and watch your revenue increase. Will you design become the utopian model of state-of-the-art shopping complexes? Or will it quickly degenerate into a modern-day nightmare filled with angry, frustrated shoppers? It's up to you whether your mall thrives or dies! ... Read more

Features

• Features enhanced graphics and a new, improved interface
• Build, design, and manage your own shopping mall
• Choose from up to 462 unique store models
• Hire and fire mall staff, and set rent for individual shops
• Content with random events like floods, fires, and criminals

Reviews (29)

Rome - and apparently the mall - wasn't built in a day
Okay, first off, this game plays quite nicely on my system, which is only a few months old and rocks righteously.

I built two malls and promptly went bankrupt both times before I went online searching for a strategy guide or cheat codes.[Caveat - no cheat codes apparently exist.I think all simulations should have cheat codes for impatient people like me who just want to get down to the business of building and not futz around with legitimate strategy.I found plenty of sites that claimed to have codes, but they all worked on MT1, not MT2.]

I found a detailed strategy guide by a regular player type (who obviously has more patience than an army of preschool teachers) by the name of "soldyne" that does a pretty good job of explaining the game and how to actually make a profit and keep playing for a long time.

The biggest tip I can offer is G-O S-L-O-W.If you try to research everything all at once or hire expensive staff right off the bat or fill up your mall with all the objects too early, you won't be able to recover, even with loans.

Build the mall that soldyne suggests.Start small and expand only when you're making a profit.Expand slowly, going up rather than out.Watch your shops carefully and adjust rents and sales cut according to their performance.

For ten bucks, I've found this to be a pretty fun simulation game.It just requires a lot of patience - maybe more than $10 worth.

Waste of time, money and energy
This is undoubtedly the worst simulation game to have ever been released.The graphics are poor, even at the highest resolution; the game is both confusing and uninteresting; and the scenarios are, at best, uninspired.Don't bother with this game...buy Tropico, Zoo Tycoon, or something else designed by people with talent.

NOT the greatest game
Installing mall tycoon 2 wasn't the problem but getting the game to work for more then 15 min at a time was the challenge. It would send me back to the desktop after the first 15-20 min. into it. I finally found a patch on the internet witch solved the problem, but after I finally got the game to work it wasnt as fun as I thought it would be. Its hard to understand how to play and when you do get the hang of it its imposible to keep your mall from going bankrupt (even with loans). Its just not worth the money or time to figure it out! I wish I would of read the reviews before I bought it. I strongly recomend not wasting your time with it.

THIS GAME DIDN'T WORK FOR ME & IT PROBABLY WON'T FOR YOU!!
When I saw the Mall Tycoon 2 game at my school book fair, I was so excited that I could get it and I thought it would be so fun to play. My Mom bought it for me forValentines Day and I immediatly installed it on my computer. This took a while, but finally it completed. I crossed my fingers, hoping it would work b/c my cousin said it didn't work on her comp. when I bought her the same game for her bday. At first, I thought it was working but after all the names of the company's flashed by, it went back to my desktop. I tried everything and it still won't work. Mabye my system isn't up to date enought; i don't know. But after skimming through the other reviews, I think that the company that made this game is not that great since the other 1's said the same thing. DON"T BUY THIS GAME; IT IS A BIG RIPPOFF!!!!!

Dose not work.Waste of money
I got the first mall tycoon for my birthday last year and it didn't work I took it back 2 times and got new ones and none of them worked. When mall tycoon came out I got it again for my birthday, I'm a huge fan of these kind of games have them all. But just like the first one the first 4 times I loaded it and it didn't work and when it did it didn't work good. Its a waste of money and a big disappointment, I was very excited by the concept of building the mall but all that happed was that i was disappointed. ... Read more

Features

• Actual SeaWorld attractions and rides; free play or challenge mode
• Play as park manager and design the entire theme-park layout
• Construct and maintain new attractions; hire and fire staff; collect admissions
• 1,000s of options including roller coasters, water rides, and shows
• Animal browser with information on animal habitat, feeding habits, and more

Reviews (1)

Not as fun as I thought
I expected this to be a lot of fun, but it isn't.There's no real guide to the game, so a lot of the little details (how to raise the beauty rating, park rating, buildings broken down, descriptions of different buildings--what they do, etc) has been left out.Freeform is kind of nice, but you can't practice raising the beauty rating.Scenarios are ok, but the intermediate scenarios are a lot harder than they should be.If you really like a challenge, this is for you.But I was expecting a little more. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Meticulously detailed trains and buildings might make Railroad Tycoon 2 Gold look like a simulation aimed at model railroad aficionados, but don't be fooled. The real heart of the game is its detailed business simulation that allows for hours of fun. At the beginning of a scenario or campaign you form a railroad company, and it then becomes your job to meet the expectations of your shareholders by supplying the goods and services demanded by the game's cities and industries.

It isn't easy. Those pretty trains chugging across the bucolic landscape have to be maintained, repaired, and replaced regularly or you run the risk of experiencing an expensive breakdown or crash. As the years tick by you also must adapt to historical demands. New industries spring up while others become less important. The passenger and mail routes that generate so much cash at the beginning of the game don't even cover your expenses once the automobile steals the show. The availability of new trains (the game models over 60), the fact that demands wax and wane over time, and the inclusion of a fully functioning stock market simulation that allows for hostile takeovers add up to a game where players always have something to do.

This Gold version of the game includes both the original Railroad Tycoon 2 content and the expansion pack Railroad Tycoon 2: The Second Century along with 12 bonus scenarios and an electronic version of the strategy guide. It's enough to keep fans of business simulations and strategy games occupied for months. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Accurate yet fun business elements
• Always something to do
• Nice graphics and a terrific blues soundtrack

• Micromanaging cargoes may be too tedious for casual gamers

Reviews (2)

Who'd have thought I'd like a Train sim?!
I've played quite a few sims in my day and this one crept up on me. After logging dozens of hours on a friends Windows version, I suddenly realized that I loved this train sim.

Great immersive background sound add with awesome (totally customizable for system performance) animated graphics of trains, cities, trees, industry, mountains, and more to make a train enthusiast out of anybody.

My only problem with this game is that I do not enjoy the modern-day scenarios. I enjoyed shuttling around passengers, grain, cattle, and food in the 1800's but don't enjoy the convoluted bauxite->aluminum->goods->port->whatever routes in the late 1900's and 2000's.

In summary, don't think you need to know or even care about trains to massively enjoy this game. You don't even need to be a sim fan as the objective oriented campaign play prevents it from being a never ending train "sandbox." This game is sure to waste many hours of your life!:)

it's pretty cool
this is a pretty cool game, but you have to like simulation games. ... Read more

Features

• try to buy, outsell or outprice your competition, as you fight to become a recognized name the world of food!
• Go on a thrilling adventure in the culinary world, facing 18 realistic scenarios
• Choose from over 30 playable chefs, and get a feel for running a restaurant in Paris, Rome or L.A.
• Decide the strategy and tactics that will make your restaurant popular -hire the waiters, select the menu and even create the decor thatgets people inside
• Master nearly 200 recipes in French, Italian or American cuisine -- appetizers, soups, main courses & desserts

Reviews (1)

Resturant Empre: Bring on the food!!
I got this game a couple of days ago and it's really fun! You choose your chef, hire waiters/waitresses, pick what's on your menu, and off you go! Here are some pros and cons of this game.

PROS

You get to choose he kind of cuisine you want in your resturant.
You can have input on how to decorate your resturant and you can redecorate at any time.
The game is fun because there is no limit to the amount of resturants you build.

CONS:

It's so hard to make money!
There is only one scenario.(there may be more, but I've only found one!)
In sandbox mode, where you start from the ground up and build your own resturant, you can't enter the cooking contest!

If you like food, this is a good buy. For young kids this game would be very confusing. I am 10 and I still have trouble with it!This game is really addicting. Once you start, you can't stop! If you have lots of free time, this game is best. If you can only play for, say, 10 min., it would be hard to get into the game.

I'm done, and I hope I helped! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

I could play it over and over!
I just started to play this game again a few days ago after not touching it for years.I completely forgot how addicted I used to be to it.I can't imagine why I stopped other than I must have gotten unbelieveable busy.
This game is so fun.I love to name all the rides, stalls, parks, and even people... I love to pick all the colors and create my own coasters.You can play it again and again, infinitely many times, and have a different game each time.I am looking for something to do with my gift certificates from christmas so maybe I will get RTC2.
The #1 complaint I have with the game, however, is that there's a lot of "down time", where you're just sort of waiting for more money to be made, and you have nothing to do besides naming things and coloring rides... which is fun, but does get a little monotonous.That's why I always bring my homework with me to the computer so I can do that in the intervals.I must say, I really don't end up getting much done, so I guess it's ok.But still, although I don't know what could be done to solve the problem, I feel like a computer game should be able to hold your undivided attention.
But it is STILL way worth it.

Great Fun!!Definatly Worth the Money!!!
This is a very fun game, also for the kids!!The only thing that I wish was alittle different, was I wish they had a freeplay...where you can make the park however big you want it, with no money limits.It is challenging with having to beat the senario's, but a break with some freeplay would be nice.

an ok game
this game is ok but there aren't any ones that u can have just a flat piece of land and all of the other ones u have to beat so the game is ok.

asome!
I love this game. I don't have RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, but I have the first game and I love it. It's defintly worth the money.

exciting
This game is really fun, but some of the games get a little too big to handle, and then taking the time to get the security guards and handymen to do their jobs, and changing the rides functions, you will start the game later than you expected. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Far West
Fun game worth the $10. When It works!! This game is full of Bugs/Glitches. It is a German made game, with no support here in America. Jowood's Idea of support is an International Toll Call.
The Official website is worthless. No Real support there either.
The Games forum is filled with complains from other gamers trashing JoWood. very little in the way of actual help. Again just frustration!!!
The games crashes many times. Especially when the wagon comes back from a cattle run from a faraway town. People, wagons get stuck (behind buildings). If you have the patience to figure out what actions you are taking that is causing the game to crash. And can avoid making them. The game is a lot of fun!!
You have been warned buy at you own risk.

UPDATE!

In spite of all the bugs and glitches. I was able to finish the game!!
I don't know if it was because I just love this genre /period in our country's history.
Or because I dislike the feeling of someone or something getting the best of me.
I must say I did find this game challenging and great fun. (After I worked out the bugs of course).

Far West won't start !
I own two computers. One has Windows ME, the other XP. Both are modern with maximum RAM, not too many programs, and both maxed out as far as upgrades - sound cards with onboard memory, video cards etc..., no deficiencies in equipment for running software.

Having followed all instructions; turning off all unnecessary programs, running Scandisk and Disk Defragmentor, even after running diagnosis and utilities programs - I still can't get the darn thing to start on either computer after two days of trying. It will load, and create an icon on the desktop, then the disk drive and hard drive lights will alternate and exchange flashes - but it won't spool up and play.

I'm not PC illiterate. I have tried everything short of contacting the telephone help desk, which I think is what they want me to do, (for my personal information), but which I can't readily do from my long-distance possition, being stationed overseas.

This is unfortunate and disappointing. I was looking forward to this game. I have been an avid fan of the Sierra products, Ceasar III and Empire Earth, and I have been looking for something in a Western / cowboy setting (I realize Far West isn't Sierra). The box and instruction book looked promising. ... Read more

Features

• Game of railroad empires in North America
• Hundreds of routes and thousands of engines
• 58 different engines and cars
• Intelligent AI modeled after 8 real world rail barons
• For 1 to 8 players using LAN or Internet connection

Reviews (12)

Rails Across America
It's a really cool game...you get to destroy other railroad companies..but be careful that you don't go bankrupt; that's really bad and all. I recommend this game because you can go back in history.

Save your $$ and get Railroad Tycoon
This game is fun, a bit confusing at first but it's eassy after you get the hang of it.The AI's are a good challenge, but the teadious task of upgrading trains every some odd yours is a real pain.If you own 50 tracks for say, you have to go through EVERY one of those tracks to updeate the type of train it uses.FOR ANNOYING and not worth the time.I got bored of the game after 2 sessions!!!

Excellent Railroad Strategy (not Trains) for a version 1
This excellent game fills a niche that has long been missing in computer railroad games.The game positions the player as the President of the Railroad who must make policy, strategy, and management decisions for an expanding railroad system.It is at the opposite end of the spectrum from MS Train Simulator.The decisions that must be made for the owner's railroad are many and keep the player busy if they want a "good" railroad.

Other reviews have stated the graphics are crude, but the President of a railroad company isn't interested in fancy looking reports.The MAP of the system and other graphics for game control are more than sufficient. Traffic control is at a higher level and hence much more realistic than Railroad Tycoon (II) is.A company president would never worry about the routing of an individual train. Better graphics would add nothing to the game.

Other reviewers have indicated that the "board" is the same every time.This is not true.The cities are always in the same place, but the cargo and passenger connection requirements are different.For example in one game Washington DC. might need 500 passenger cars to NY.The next game there might not be any passengers from DC to NY at all.

My main criticism of the game is that the default "normal" game is too easy.This is why some reviewers have CLAIMED to master the game in a short time.In my opinion, to make a challenging "normal" game there should be at least five (5) other players, the players starting position should be set to "random", and the "attacks" should be set to "rare" instead of "never".One can never claim to have mastered this game until they get a gold, not just first place, in each of the scenario options.There are other minor problems with the game but do not distract from the total effect.

If you get this game be certain to get the on-line upgrade that fixes some bugs and most importantly adds a "Hall of Fame" so that one can rank themselves one game to the next.

In short an excellent game for simulating railroad management that still has room for improvement (Can't wait for version II).Highly recommended for railroad people.Straight gamers might need to learn something about railroads to fully appreciate it.This review is written with about 40 games played in one month of ownership.

Defintly get this game
i liked the game because instead of the same old "goblins and orcs", it's the FBI and Newspapers.I think it is well worth the money.

Not what I expected...
I was very disappointed with this game... I'm a huge fan of Railroad Tycoon, but if you buy this game thinking you'll get anything like it, think again.

First, the graphics, although they are crisp, are very simplistic and merely adequate. I personally find them ugly and boring. The sounds and animations are very basic too.

A huge drawback is that there is only one map to play on. For me, it got boring very quickly to always see the same thing.

What I hadn't understood when buying this game is that it's a railroad simulation, not a train simulation. You never get into the detail of passengers and goods transportation in this game...you cannot choose which types of wagons the trains will pull -- all trains look the same and it's just assumed they pull the appropriate wagons depending on where they go to. Basically, I found there was very little to do in the game, and it's all very repetitive and boring.

If the game sold for $19.95, it might be worth it for railroad fans (although I wouldn't even buy it at this price.) ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Railroad Tycoon 2, the sequel to the legendary Railroad Tycoon, puts gamers in control of 34 cargo types and 51 train engines from around the world. Scenarios allow for worldwide exploration and expansion. A sophisticated economy and stock market for Wall Street plunderers lets players test their entrepreneurial prowess. Railroad Tycoon 2 is based on PopTop's proprietary S3D engine, which allows for highly detailed 3-D graphics and renderings. This game is the first developed exclusively for 1,024 x 768 resolution, in either 16-bit or 8-bit color. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Surprisingly fantastic
Before I ever played RR Tycoon, my idea of its replay value/interest to me was pretty bleak.A game where you run a train company and just watch little digitized trains go to and fro?And on top of that you have tomanage your stocks and bonds?Yuck!But after playing a demo of the game,I was hooked and had to buy the full version.It's one of the mostengrossing strategy titles you'll play, StarCraft, WarCraft, Myth aside. Those games are all very fulfilling, but RR Tycoon holds its own againstthem when it comes to the gaming hours I spend each week.You really won'tgo wrong trying it out, and at such a low price, what's stopping you? ... Read more

Product Description

Starship Tycoon puts you in charge of an interplanetary shipping company, you compete against AI controlled firms to survive in the cutthroat world of space commerce. Configure and upgrade your starships, hire and fire the crew, smuggle illegal goods, and wage price wars against your competitors.

You can play either in a mission-based or freeform 'sandbox' mode. There is enough gameplay in Starship Tycoon to keep you playing for months, you can run your company any way you like, from keeping the staff happy and well paid right down to running on cheap fuel, smuggling illegal cargoes, and bribing the customs officials.

... Read more

Features

• Play 8 wild missions involving everything from bribing officials to waging price wars against the competition
• Manage your employees while competing against tough AI rivals trying to sink your business
• Decide the fate of your galactic shipping company -- keep it legit and make a fortune, or become part of a smuggling ring
• Keep your crew & employees happy and well-paid, while pulling in the biggest possible profit
• Play against the clock or go your own speed in free-form mode

Features

• You're back in charge as you as you control every facet of an entire airport, from its construction to its day-to-day operations
• Choose from 25 different cities - Chicago, London, Moscow, Tokyo and more
• The fully 3D-rendered world offers fantastic graphics combined with free-ranging camera controls & multiple zooms
• Use your management skills to place metal detectors, check-in desks, monitors and lounges
• Build over 60 buildings - terminals, hangars, fire station and control towers

Reviews (1)

worest game ever!!
don't buy this game...it really sucks... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

GREAT
This game focuses on skateboard moves by several skaters, male and female.You make the moves by using the arrow keys and keys "Z" and "X". The soundtrack is really good. There aren't that many tricks you can do.Other than that, I think this game is really good. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Successfully complete, one by one, the steps necessary to build an enduring, front-running business and to skillfully manage production. You also plan a foolproof marketing strategy, to find the right partners. If you succeed in doing so, you'll destroy your competition and become the most successful CEO of the 21st century. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good but impossible to win
This game has a great engine, but it is impossible to win.I got the game several months ago and haven't beaten either of the two starting levels once.To top it off, I can't find any cheats.

START-UP 2000
This game is boring and too easy to beat, once u beat it, your probably not going to play it again!

Interesting SIM for budding Entrepreneurs
This is going to be a great SIM for budding entrepreneurs to roleplay the different aspects of a startup company.It really puts you in the "CEO hotseat" and lets you "actually" feel what it islike to make all the "right" decisions.

It is limiting in thatyou can't make all the decisions but you get the general idea.

If youreally put yourself in the CEO mindset and forget that this is "just agame", you can really have fun building a company all the way throughIPO.

It would be interesting to see if VC people catch a clue and look tosee if you can run a virtual company as a measuring stick for funding... ;-) ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Meticulously detailed trains and buildings might makeRailroad Tycoon 2 Gold look like a simulation aimed at modelrailroad aficionados, but don't be fooled. The real heart of the gameis its detailed business simulation of 19th and 20th century railroadempires. At the beginning of a scenario or campaign you form a railroadcompany, and it then becomes your job to meet the expectations of yourshareholders by supplying the goods and services demanded by the game'scities and industries.

It isn't easy. Those pretty trains chugging across the bucoliclandscape have to be maintained, repaired, and replaced regularly oryou run the risk of experiencing an expensive breakdown or crash. Asthe years tick by you must also adapt to historical demands. Newindustries spring up while others become less important. The passengerand mail routes that generate so much cash at the beginning of the gamedon't even cover your expenses once the automobile steals the show. Theavailability of new trains (the game models over 60), the fact thatdemands wax and wane over time, and the inclusion of a fullyfunctioning stock market simulation that allows for hostile takeoversadd up to a game where players always have something to do.

This Gold version of the game includes both the original RailroadTycoon 2 and the expansion pack Railroad Tycoon 2: The SecondCentury along with 12 bonus scenarios and an electronic version ofthe strategy guide. It's enough to keep fans of business simulationsand strategy games occupied for months. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Accurate yet fun business elements
• Always something to do
• Nice graphics and a terrific blues soundtrack

• Micromanaging cargoes may be too tedious for casual gamers

Reviews (24)

"We were waving our arms out the window"
In the Addams Family movies, Gomez would blow off steam by "playing" with his model trains -- smashing them into each other so that the explosions would reverberate throughout the mansion. The first Railroad Tycoon allowed you to do this by fiddling with track signals, but the trains were blocky little things, so the impact was underwhelming.

The opening footage to Railroad Tycoon 2 implies that some gnarly train wreckage is on your way. Indeed, the game has some beautiful trains, puffing and zipping their way through impressionist landscapes. Tragically, one can only deliberately crash a train by failing to properly maintain it. A destroyed train is a solitary event (no impact with another train), and instead of car after car piling up after the train has fallen off the tracks, the destroyed train sits on the track -- blocking traffic -- and then disappears in a puff of smoke. What a letdown!

Mind you, this is about the only way that Railroad Tycoon 2 has fallen down. It is highly customizable, and it is graphically beautiful. It comes with a challenging campaign and dozens of scenarios. The map editor allows for some sophisticated rendering of real landscapes taken from satellite data. Dozens of scenarios are available on the Internet, so this investment might be one of the best entertainment values out there.

There is increased flexibility in the corporate financial model, and some of the AIs are truly vicious, but you can simply turn them off in the scenarios. Even if you can't play smash-'em-up with the trains, there is plenty of havoc that you can wreak as you try to crush the economic dreams of your opponents and, of course, the thousands of railroad employees working for you.

A great challenge and lots of fun
Railroad Tycoon II is a great strategy game that requires critical thinking and lots of patience. If you possess both of these then RT2 is the game for you. In RT2 you are put in the seat of the chairman of a large railroad corporation, and you must expand your railroad across America, all the while maintaining a constant stream of revenue and profits. This entails starting profitable routes such as taking passengers & mail to various towns that demand them, and taking resources to industries that require them. For example, you would take coal and iron to a steel mill for it to produce steel, and then steel and grain to produce goods at a cannery. Establishing and maintaining these routes, and keeping them profitable at the same time, is a great challenge and requires constant micromanagement of train consists and the demands of your individual trains, such as their needing oil, sand or water.

It may sound technical, but RT2 is loads of fun. It's a great feeling to see your railroad start small, and gradually expand across America. You've got to run the game at a slow speed because there's so much to manage all at once, and so this expansion obviously happens quite gradually. But it's tremendously rewarding. Added to which, you must manage your own personal finances on the stockmarket. This feature detracts a little from the railroad side of things, but the two are interlinked in that if you run your railroad well, the price of your stock skyrockets. Concomitant with the stockmarket is the state of the economy: it follows a cycle that influences your company's profits, aggregate demand in the economy, and hence your price of stocks. You've got to factor all of this in when managing your personal wealth, and so you must buy low, sell high, issue stock at the right time, issue bonds, and raise or lower dividends depending on boom or recession. It's quite a complex procedure but, if you do it right, you can see your personal wealth skyrocket. Added to which, certain missions are won by you actually attaining a threshold of wealth, and not by expanding your railroad from one town to another.

So ultimately, Railroad Tycoon 2 is a tremendously diverse and richly rewarding game. The presence of the stockmarket feature adds extra depth to what is already quite a complex game, and so it's suitable for critical thinkers and problem solvers. The hard difficulty provides a huge challenge (which I am currently undertaking), and the easy difficulty is challenging enough for novices. As a result, RT2 is suitable for anyone really, as long as you've got the patience to sit down and learn how to play it in the first place. One thing's for sure: it's well worth it.

entertaining and challenging
The scenarios are a huge plus to this game, you can set a "sand-box" mode where you play in a vacuum or go all out and throw in shares and customer rating.

The middle levels are the most intriguing, but after you have completed 6 or so missions some of the sound files become a bit annoying.

Prepare to mix up some sand...great for kids as well as adults.

RailRoad Tycoon
A great game with with good graphics.Pick any city in the world to start with!Also some made-up maps.You can make your own maps by using the map editor.

RailRoad Tycoon
A great game with with good graphics.Pick any city in the world to start with!Also some made-up maps.You can make your own maps by using the map editor. ... Read more

Features

• For 1 player
• Ski resort management simulation
• Thousands of unique features to add and develop
• Multiple gameplay modes
• Full terrain editor

Reviews (52)

Very fun, but graphics are nothing to brag about!
This game is a very fun game that will keep you playing for days.The graphics, though, could use some improvment.The game tends to be "blocky" at times, and also tends to be kind of chopy in its videos.Though you do have to consider, for the low price that it generally sells at, you cant expect much more(I got mine in a package of two along with Golf Resort Tycoon for $10.00.So you can figure that the graphics are "worth" about $5.00, if that's means anything to you).So overall, if your looking for a cheap, quality management game, then I recommend this game for you.

Note:I do wish though, that the game would have been a little more realistic, and have offered some more varity and quantity of maps.

Boring
This game is way too limited. It was fun for about 1 hour... fun is a bit strong of a word... it was tolerable for about an hour.

awesome
This game is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!If you like surfing get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HAS Lots of cool features like surfboard rentals and a ice cream stand to cool guests off.It is fun to see the surfers get eaten by a grizzly bear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!buy this game............................lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good but not Great
I find this game appealing to the player because I wish that I had owned a Ski Resort in real life. I like this game more than other simulation games like Activitions other game Golf Tycoon. The game grabed me and pulled me in with it's exciting game play. But one thing to work on is the graphics. It's an older game and at that time that was good graphics, but hopefully Ski Resort Tycoon 2 will be even better. Other than that it is one heck of a game.

Ski Resort Tycoon
Sounds a lot of fun doesn't it? Yeah, well for the first 3 hours or so. When you start this game, you begin to start building your first lift, add a couple of restrooms, maintaince shack, ski patrol hut, and a snack or espresso bar and so on depending on your funds. Many of the buildings require previous buildings to be built, so you cant just build a remarkable 5-star hotel with 300 rooms once you start. Then as you get more guests, some of them stayes overnight-whoops excuse me did I say that? Theres not even a daynight cycle in this game. I gained a star up, but my funds were getting low. I only had about 5k left. If your funds are low, you have to wait in order to gain money. This is a very bory procces. I used the 3D third-peron mode. You actually feel like your skiing in a real resort! The drawback to this, however is that even is you have a blazing fast no lagg and cinematic quality visual producing main stream graphics card with a powerful very fast processor and a lot of RAM (like mine, an Alienware Area-51 PC including a Pentium 4 3ghz Processor with 512 megabytes of RAM and a Nvidia GeForce FX 5600 Ultra 128MB), you will still recieve a lot of lagg and slow frame rates . The physics are everything to complain about. Guests an literally ski though buildings, if you run is too steep, half their body is on top and the other, on the bottom of the snow. It's not the deep snow, if it is they will be skiing very slowly. Also to complain about is the bad graphics and detail even in 1024x768 which is the highest resolution you can get, depending on your graphics card. Look at the skiiers and snowborders detail, they are nothing but a trapazoid shape as their body, and a spheare thats not even round, more like an octogon for their head. Avalanches that happen way to often, makes you go to the top of your screen. To get down your would have to move your increadibly slow pointer. Both of these features they put into this game are extreamley annoying. I eventually got to a five-star resort by "chain building" the hotels, resturants, restrooms, warming huts, entertainment centers, expert runs, and quality lifts. Finally, I just about have enough of this game and I started writing my review.
Ups: 3D mode lets see how your resort is like if your actually there. One way to get that "winter feel" during summer.
Downs: Gets really boring after the first few hours you play. Very laggy, poor frame-rates, terrible graphics, and awful and physics.
Bottom Line: You might want to do some real skiing instead.
If I had to give it a score from 1-100 it would be 37/100. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The stock market thrives on three words: buy, sell, and trade. It can make a poor man rich in a matter of seconds, or it can crumble the most powerful of companies. Do you have what it takes to be a day trader?

Day Trader 2001 places you on the floor of the world's most intense stock exchanges. Whether it's New York, London, or Tokyo, billions of dollars will change hands right before your eyes. Cunning, skill, and intelligence are your weapons. Earn the respect of your peers and the ire of the competitors as you build your financial empire.

Day Trader 2001 features over 50 internationally recognized stocks to trade in, and seven gripping scenarios ranging from the NASDAQ crash to the heated operating systems war. Control your financial destiny in New York, London, or Tokyo. Gather vital information using more than 500 press clippings, sound bites, and e-mails. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Won't run on either of my machines
I have tried this program on two very fast machines that should run ANYTHING...on one it will not run at all. On the other it runs so poorly that its not worth playing. The intro hangs on a black screen. If you can get past that it won't let you enter your name...so you decide to play without a name and then you can't pick stocks. Its a mess. I got an email about the first problem from the manufacturer. As I remeber it had something to do with confirming my processor type.

In short...getting it to run right was just too much trouble and now it just sits on a shelf. I wish I would have sent it back right after I got it.

Shut -up and read down below
In campaign you start of by choosing what kind of industries you want.(Jewlery technology etc.) There's others you cant play unless you beat a level. When you pick you industry there are only about 8 american stocks. five real and most popular. The other 3 are mutuals and other things. Besides american there's Japanesse and French. Japaneese and french stocks dont get as much information as an american stock. There are 6 different jobs you have assign people. French broker Japanesse broker american broker analyst lawyer and press agent. The brokers put in what you want to buy and sell. Each one has a different commision depending on how good or bad they are. When you hire one of them they give you there resame. Which says if it gets sick a lot if it likes hectic market days weather or not he/she cares about being popular and if the person has had any experience(this go's for all jobs). You pay the brokers by the month just as for any job you give to anyone. The anylsts are their incase you want to ask them questions about companies(But dont ask to much questions or they wont be happy with their jobs)You can also tell the analysts to find out more information about stocks. Press agent can tell people rumors to try and make a stock go up a bit(costs no money) The only other thing they can do is to make a press campaign on you.Press campaigns start at 3000 but they cost more and more as time go's on. The only other person you can hire is a lawyer who only can sue other companies. Usually you sue other companies to get their stock price down but sometimes very rarely your suewing to take them out of buisness because you found out they did something illegal. But dont think there is no inflation. There is but sometimes it's bad because then your employees you hired are going to want more money. To win your campaign you start with 100,000 dollars and when you reach 2 million you have won that level.(2 million in assets not value)You get quarter updates about your stocks but they do not give you a huge magazine. Oh yeah I forgot there's a bar you can go to where people tell you there ideas on stocks. They aren't good people to go to because they aren't to qualified. In the bar there is a spy( your employee) You dont pay him a monthly salary instead you pay him money for things he does. You automaticly get a spy with no resame no health problems. Just a line showing how good of a spy he is. One thing you can do is have him have a instruction course that cost 10,000. You can also have him spread rumors about a company you own or spread bad rumors about a stock you want to go down(I forgot how much this costs.) One other thing is espionage to try and find out things about stocks so you might find evidence against a stock that can allow you to sue them and possibly win money(costs 3000).Also in the game someone has a dictionary for stock market words you dont know and want look up. If you lose more than400000 dollars you will lose the game and the person who let you have 1,000,000 will not let you go below -400000 or if you go higher than 2 million she will take her money back and your mission will be complete. To get some of you sports fans pumped up this game has a sports industry if you beat a certain level...Anyway I gave it a 3 because wasn't up to what I would've liked it to be but don't stop it from you buying this game... Goodbye and have a nice day

Good and Challenging
This is the best stock game I have ever played.The graphics are well done and so is the interface.You have an office that you staff with different people to help you out.There is a lawyer to sue companies and to protect you when you get sued for trying to devalue prices.You have a spy to help find out additional information and spread rumors.You have a broker to give you advice on stocks, he's not nearly right all the time.You have a marketing person to raise your standing in the broker community and to help influence stock prices.You also hire people to work in different markets (New York, Tokyo, and London).You will periodically get updates similar to news broadcasts.If you have a large stake in a company you get to vote on company decisions, if you have a controlling interest you make the decisions.You can buy/sell stocks, futures, and options.Definately a mistitled game as it really is not daytrading.You want to play for a longer term approach, you will not be selling and buying daily but rather playing for a few months down the road.The game does move fairly quickly but this helps to keep the game more challenging and interesting.I have found most games based on stock market simulations to be rather easy to master but you won't have that problem with this one.

Real Life Strategy
One criticism is that the game is very fast moving, but so are real life markets.What is today's hesitation is tomorrow's opportunity lost.

I was a little skeptical buying a game called Day Trader - because I frown upon such market practises.However, the game isn't about day trading...You use options and futures, as well as standard long/short transactions...You can conduct business in the three major global financial centers (NY, London and Tokyo), and trade currency, stock indexes, and bonds (T-bonds, Gilts and JGBs).

Even better, you have a selection of scenarios to play (such as Internet booms, etc), where you have a selection of relevant stocks to trade in.For example, with the internet boom you can play with ETrade, Yahoo, etc.

With the exception that things do move really fast, I think it an excellent game on the whole.

Not what I was expecting.
This is a game which goes through real time. You are able to influence the market using your lawyer as well as the press agent. A spy for influencing the prices of stock is available as well for espionage of certain companies. It may be a fun game for some but I found the game to be challenging even at the slowest speed. For me to really think about a stock this should have been a game which should have been turn based as opposed to real time. You essentially have 60 seconds to make a decision about something before the market closes for the day. In other words, just save your money for something else. ... Read more