Theme Park

Atari Jaguar

from AEO Magazine, Volume 4, Issue 2

 |||   Theme Park
 |||   By: Darren Bates
/ | \  Internet: dooz@batesg.demon.co.uk
       ----------------------------------------------------------------

Not only do the great people at Bullfrog grace our Jags with
Syndicate, they go ahead and convert another of their most impressive
title - Theme Park.

There's not much to tell about the plot of the game, just create the
world biggest and best Theme Park. It's as simple as that, not! This
excellent conversion is basically identical to the PC versions, with
the only noticeable difference being the lack of rendered sequences
that were in the PC-CD versions. The programmers at Bullfrog did
however, manage to squeeze in a few of the sequences, despite the
limitations of the cartridge. You can look forward to animations to
cover Bankruptcy, Success and Corporate Takeover. Each adds some to
the fun of the game.

Attention to detail is apparent in every aspect of this game. (No,
not the Cybermorph programmers!) Every action you take has a reaction
that can affect your profits and public attendance. Simply placing
salt on the fries at the food stall can increase the sales of your
drinks, but careful, too much salt and the punters will get sick!

There are hundreds of strategies you can use in Theme Park. Without a
doubt it is much more fun than its cousin game, Sim City. It also
betters Sim City by being much more complex and proves much more
enjoyable. The end results in Theme Park are far more pleasing.

The graphics are identical to the original, with the exeption being
the icon configuration. Bullfrog have rearranged the icons to suit a
joypad instead of a mouse, however, it does not simplify the game in
any way, and the game remains quite complicated to start off. Practice
is the key, and it's well worthwhile. Each ride or stall that is
placed in your park is smartly drawn, with many having small and
sometimes amusing animations. Also, small people wander around the
park once it is open and try out the rides. You can see how they're
feeling by watching the thought bubbles that hover above their heads.

Money management is another element of the game. You must employ
people to run the park and create rides. Entertainers, mechanics and
cleaners are some of the people you can employ. Investing in opposing
parks can also bring in money, you can even buy out an opponent when
enough funds are accumulated.

I could go on for days listing the options and strategies that are
available in this game. Suffice to say it is not the sort of game that
is completed in a weekend! By the way, anyone who has played the Amiga
version of Theme Park will be surprised by the Jaguar version - Jag
Theme Park is FOUR time faster than the Amiga game!

This is an excellent and original title, that is surpassed only by the
PC-CD version, but hey, we didn't have to fork out thousands for a
souped up PC. Theme Park is one of the best strategy/simulations out,
and should please a lot of Jag owners who want something different.


GRAPHICS    - 8.0
SOUND       - 7.5
PLAYABILITY - 9.5
OVERALL     - 9.0