Rollercoaster Tycoon 2: Wacky Worlds

It��s not that Wacky Worlds is a bad expansion pack. It delivers the baseline requirements for an add-on set: new scenarios and elements. The problem lies with RollerCoaster Tycoon 2. After the original RCT managed to cling to the top 10 best-seller list for more than two years, just like PC gaming��s very own lamprey, an audience was primed and ready for a next-gen RCT experience. Instead, they got RollerCoaster Tycoon with a modest spit polish. If designer Chris Sawyer were looking for an ideal way to squander the goodwill and brand-name recognition created by RCT��s stellar gameplay, mission accomplished.

Wacky Worlds builds on this aging foundation but adds nothing to the overall playability of the game. The general specs appear to line up quite nicely, with new content based upon the seven continents. This adds a nicely diverse set of architectural styles, such as igloos (which, technically speaking, would be Arctic rather than Antarctic), a mixed Chinese/Japanese/Indian style, Wild West structures, and the like. Themes extend from the look of buildings to the rides, concessions, and major landmarks, including giant Buddhas, the Great Wall of China, Shakleton��s Endurance, and other doodads to dress up your park.

What, exactly, does all this amount to? Well, about 250 odd, new ��elements,�� which can be cross-pollinated using the scenario editor, allowing you to mix and match themes from different continents. As far as the effect on gameplay, well, it��s almost nil. Many concessions and rides are simply old rides with new graphics. While the 17 new scenarios��at least one for each continent��are uniformly good and often interesting, there is, this late in the life of the game, an overwhelming sense of d��j�� vu. Even the best games can get tired with age, and these repeated attempts to inject new life into the old RCT design rather than expanding upon that design results in little more than a face-lift and a tummy tuck.

PUBLISHER: INFOGRAMES

DEVELOPER: CHRIS SAWYER

GENRE: BUSINESS SIM

ESRB RATING: EVERYONE; MILD VIOLENCE

PRICE: $29.99 REQUIREMENTS: PENTIUM II 300MHZ, 64MB RAM, 200MB HARD DRIVE SPACE RECOMMENDED REQUIREMENTS: PENTIUM III 400MHZ, 128MB RAM

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: NONE

Copyright © 2003 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Computer Gaming World.