Sid Meier's RailRoads!

The Basics:
Platform: PC
Developer: Firaxis Games
Price: $49.99
ESRB rating: E (Everyone)

Summary: All aboard for this railroad strategy game.

Note: Parents need to know that there is no objectionable content in this game; however, it is online enable, which could change the gameplay. Overall, Sid Meier's Railroads! is a fun, entertaining and educational game.

Families who purchase this game could discuss how games like Railroads successfully mix entertainment with education. Do you feel like you know more about how railroads influenced the economy? What happens to a city when you didn't connect it to your railroad network?

Further Breakdown:

Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars (entertainment rating)

Best for ages: 13+
Playability: Medium. Half hour learning curve.
Graphics: High. System demanding, but beautifully rendered.
Reading Level: Medium. Some reading required.

Ages 3-7: Green
Ages 8-12: Green
Ages 13-17: Green
Violence Amount: Green
Fear: Green
Illegal/harmful: Green
Language: Green
Nudity: Green
Sex: Green

Review:
Sid Meier's Railroads! has all of the things necessary for a great model train simulator: more than 45 historic and realistically replicated engines, the ability to lay intricate tracks with crossovers, tunnels and bridges and maps with plenty of cities and topography to make things interesting. But in the end, Railroads is much more than a train simulator-it's a challenging strategy game that has players battling wits and business sense against some of the most renowned railroad barons of all time.

A railroad empire is built on tracks, but solid knowledge of economics is required for players to succeed in the cutthroat railroading business. Once cities are connected, players purchase engines to deliver cargo to make a profit. Some locations produce raw materials; others manufacture those materials into goods that can be sold at other locations. As cities grow and thrive, they have new demands and more room for bigger manufacturing plants. Players need to constantly monitor which trains are running the right routes, at the right speeds and with the right cargo to beat out their competitors.

It's the stock market, however, that determines the barons from the beggars. To make a quick buck, players can unload some shares, or they buy opponents stock to gain control of competitor companies. If a player purchases all of the shares of a competitor, they knock them out of the game by means of a hostile takeover. However, players need to be cautious, since the same fate can befall them!

The final score is determined by the player's net worth and the completion of the objectives set for the map they are playing. At the beginning of each scenario, players choose a map that sets the location and timeframe for the game. These maps also have a number of different objectives, that if completed will give a bonus to the player's final score.

The only thing that keeps Railroads from a five star rating is the glitches. The game has some pretty intense graphic needs, and if the player's system isn't up to par, they can expect random and frequent lockups, as well as some odd in-game behavior (like trains floating off tracks, etc.) Fortunately, the game frequently auto saves, protecting players from losing too much of their game.

An entertaining and educational success, Railroads deserves a spot on any armchair conductor's computer.