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REVIEWS

Trains. Locomotives. Iron Horses. There is something about these vehicles that calls up fond childhood memories of train sets and miniature cities. Even for those of us who never had a train set, just a picture of these huge engines can bring back memories of that special train ride taken so long ago. Not to mention the "romantic" era when these beasts were at their heyday. A recent special I saw on early locomotives dealt the controversy surrounding this mode of transportation and the endless speculation of whether a man can even withstand the force of 29 mph! Of course all the speculation is now a mute issue in this age of space travel and faster than sound aircraft, but I think something in all of us long, at least occasionally, for those past ages when the Iron Horse was making its mark on history. These machines shrunk a continent, made the transport of materials, especially perishable ones, a much easier task, increased the efficiency of mail delivery and, of course, brought people to areas they would have never dreamed of going in an earlier time. It was also a time when fortunes were made and lost and people like Vanderbilt built an empire. Not that modern railroads have lost their charm, but their glory days have past them by. Or have they?

Railroad Tycoon II (RRII), the successor to Railroad Tycoon and Railroad Tycoon Deluxe, allows you to live those days over and over again. From the 1804 Trevithick 0-4-0 to the proposed 2008 Mag-Lev TBX-1, RRII allows you to build your own railroad empire using 60 available engine types, at a cost a lot less than an HO Train Set. Not only can you build a train set, you can compete against 40 tycoons and 30+ managers in order to determine how you would stack up to their aggressive tactics. All of this is done on a detailed 3D map in stunning 1024 x 768 graphic resolution showing trees, hills, rivers, cities and towns. The superb graphics coupled with excellent sounds and mood music truly draws the user into RRII’s rich environment.

For those of you who have played Railroad Tycoon or Railroad Tycoon Deluxe, there are more changes than just the graphics and sound. RRII is a worthy successor in all ways. It not only takes the basic system that was present in the original but builds upon and enhances it. Unlike so many remakes that slap a new look onto an old program, RRII takes the best from its predecessor and goes a step further. RRII adds more trains, more time periods, more tycoons and more cargo webs. In fact the cargo system is quite intricate and challenging. For example certain products can enhance the production of others (an obvious example is a fertilizer factory enhancing the production of an Orchard leading to increased output at a Cannery) and industries can and do expire at various time periods. There are some 34 types of freight cars, each with their own graphic image.

The financial model, not a real strong point in the original, has been enhanced. The would be baron can buy industries which give a strong incentive to keep that industry well supplied with raw materials. The stock market model is more sophisticated, allowing the user to buy on margin and sell short, as well as engage in standard buy/sell techniques. At higher AI levels the computer can be very aggressive and challenging in these matters.

RRII allows the player to select several types of game play when setting up a company. At the basic level there is a Sandbox mode that allows the user to essentially build an HO train set. All financial and industrial options are turned off, so all that one has to concern him/herself with is running trains. The Financial Model allows setting Basic (minimized stock market involvement), Advanced (standard Stock Market AI is enabled) and Expert (a very aggressive AI is invoked along with short selling and buying stock on a margin) levels. Similarly, the Industrial model also allows Basic, Advanced and Expert levels. These levels have to do with how cities accept and buy cargo and whether the player can buy industries. The player can also set the starting capital levels for his or her company. These options give the user the ability to customize the game to their liking. If all a person wants to do is build trains, so be it. If the player hates to deal with all the financial shenanigans (a game in itself), just turn it off. Hate to deal with the complexities of cargo maneuvering? You can toggle down the settings. I love this flexibility as the player, not game designer, decides how the game is to be played. Personally, I don’t care for dealing with the financial complexities (too much like real life <g>), so I tend to play on Basic Financial and Expert Industrial settings.

An interesting component of RRII is the campaign mode, especially for those who don’t care for an open ended game or making their own goals. The campaign leads the user through 18 increasingly difficult scenarios, each having their own set goals and objectives. I personally don’t care for the structure and almost impossible time-limits of some of the scenarios in the campaign, preferring to start my own scenarios on a map of my choosing. As is almost required these days, RRII allows multi-user and Internet play.

While RRII is a fantastic game and, in my opinion, an instant classic, it is not without its problems. The biggest problem I see is the manual. It’s not much of one. It only gives very basic game play information and not much else. Setting up profitable cargo routes is really a matter of trial and error. Even the historical background is very sketchy. There are just several lines for each Tycoon/Chairman and basically just a table listing the trains. For a train building game, this is a crime. Quick now, tell me whether I should use an American 4-4-0 Class C, Iron Duke 4-2-2, or 8-Wheeler 4-4-0? There is information about trains in the game, enough to help an informed player make a decision, but nothing in the manual. At least the original Railroad Tycoon manual gave a paragraph description for each train along with some hints as to its basic use. This is really inexcusable for a quality product. In addition, there are no tunnels or switching stations. The lack of tunnels makes planning a railroad in rugged terrain some thing of a puzzle game and besides, who ever heard of a train set without at least one tunnel? Not having switching stations is a more serious problem. While I am well aware of the problems and controversy they had in the original game, they proved valuable, at least for me, in helping direct traffic. Without switching stations, double tracking becomes almost a necessity. To be fair, RRII does have the ability to give various trains certain priorities, but I still would like to see switching stations included in a patch.

All in all these problems, with the exception of the manual, are minimal and don’t detract from an otherwise great game. Railroad Tycoon II  is highly recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in trains or high finance.

Reviewed by Alan C. Fusco

Summary
Pros: An excellent railroad building game with a strong financial model. The superb atmosphere is enhanced by the 1024 x 768 graphic resolution and ambient sounds. There are a large number of computer players and the AI is very aggressive. Cons: No tunnels. No switching stations. A lackluster manual with only the most basic gameplay information and terse historical background.
Interface : 9	Gameplay : 9.5	Graphics : 10
Audio : 9	Multiplayer : 8	Overall : 9.5

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