Roller Coaster Tycoon

Experience the challenges and pulse-pounding excitement of creating and running the ultimate amusement park. Start with an undeveloped tract of land, a modest bank account and your wildest dreams. Accurate motion dynamics/physics produce thrilling rides - or the ultimate disaster Excitement/Nausea ratings let you design attractions for guests of all stomach strengths Track your financial performance For Windows 95/98+

Want to build an empire without all the usual bloodshed? Try RollerCoaster Tycoon, which puts you in total control of a theme park, managing every detail from ride development to rescuing lost guests.

A simulator in the style of SimCity, this game has a simple enough concept: build a park attractive enough to draw in hoards of tourists and then separate them from their hard-earned money. This is accomplished by researching and building rides, along with amenities, gardens and decorations. Once you have your infrastructure, and the staff to maintain it, it's time to sit back and watch the funds roll in...all in hopes of building an even bigger rollercoaster somewhere else!

The big draws in a theme park, the coasters are expensive and flashy. They lure in thrill-seeking guests prepared to pay top dollar for a wild ride. RollerCoaster Tycoon even allows you to design the coasters yourself, a finicky but ultimately rewarding operation.

Despite a clunky interface and the usual simulator drawbacks--such as long waits while you acquire funds for the next ride--RollerCoaster Tycoon is an utter gem of a game. Its soundtrack, a mix of calliope music and ride machinery, is mixed with the sound of guests squealing with delight and terror as the coasters hurl them around. The sound mix is joyfully evocative, and you can almost smell the cotton candy and the popcorn.

Best of all, you can play in this theme park for hours without once losing your children or friends, getting sore feet or experiencing motion sickness. --Alyx Dellamonica

Design your own roller coaster. Start with a tract of land, a few bucks in the bank, and the single-minded ambition of Donald Trump. Along the way you'll encounter all of the pratfalls of the typical real estate tycoon.