Rollercoaster Tycoon: Video Game Allows You to Build Your Own Amusement Park

Rollercoaster Tycoon began the series of amusement park building computer games. This interactive, computer simulation game requires players to build, manage, and remodel simulated amusement parks, complete with a full range of rides and attractions. Roller Coaster Tycoon is the original, first game in the Roller Coaster Tycoon series. Roller Coaster Tycoon premiered in 1999, and followed by expanision packs for the game called Loopy Landscapes and CorkScrew Follies.

Roller Coaster Tycoon Features

To play Roller Coaster Tycoon, a computer is necessary. Most computers with Windows 98 and up, should have no problem loading Roller Coaster Tycoon. Roller Coaster Tycoon challenges players to design an amusement park with a variety of ride options, landscaping, and maintenance features. Once the game begins, players there is a time feature that gives a certain amount of time to complete challenges, or achieve goals. The weather and seasons change throughout game play.

Players are given game money for each guest admission, special ticket purchases, and snack and food purchases. Once the game is started, players must pay for additional rides, food stands, landscaping features, and staff. An income report is played in real-time for the game, and monthly statistics and financial reports can be accessed during play.

The biggest challenge for gamers who play Roller Coaster Tycoon is to develop an amusement park that will bring in guests and generate income. Special rewards are given for outstanding accomplishments during the game, and new attractions are added for purchase when certain goals are achieved during game play.

The guests in the game are active, moving from one attraction to another, buying refreshments, and using the restrooms. Nauseous guests often vomit on the amusement park pathways, requiring the game player to send one of the staff maintenance workers over for clean up. Garbage disposal is another factor for guests in the simulated Roller Coaster Tycoon amusement parks. Players who forget to purchase and provide garbage cans in key areas of the amusement park will be punished with a park that becomes littered by guests.

One of the most unique features of Roller Coaster Tycoon is the ability to peek inside the thoughts of the individual guests. Clicking on a guest can give the game player a view of the guest's hunger, thirst, ride preference, and thoughts.

Roller Coaster Tycoon game players have the chance to landscape their amusement park with a variety of tools. Land can be dug, removed, or adjusted to meet the needs of a new attraction. Designing creative and appealing landscaping will add to the attraction of the amusement park.

Some of the gaming options for Roller Coaster Tycoon include the chance to play different types of challenges, and to improve an existing, pre-designed amusement park. There are also different park settings to choose from. The Roller Coaster Tycoon expansion packs, Loopy Landscapes and CorkScrew Follies, add new attraction and ride options, as well as a variety of new amusement park settings. Both expansion packs require the original Roller Coaster Tycoon to play.

Hours of Fun: The Roller Coaster Tycoon Experience

Roller Coaster Tycoon is one of the best interactive computer simulation games for people who like to create and design. The game appeals to both children and adults, and at our house, everyone has spent entire evenings building roller coasters and designing Roller Coaster Tycoon amusement parks. The different challenges are fun, but the long term appeal is in the fact that each park can be saved and returned to at a later time to play again, or improve. There are countless ways to design each park, even with the same available attractions and rides.

For children, this is an entertaining game that does have some educational value. Managing the park requires careful planning, hiring staff, and making decisions. Building rides requires some basic engineering skills, easy enough for older children, but still challenging enough to learn from. For the average $14.99 price tag, Roller Coaster Tycoon is a game that is well worth the money. The Roller Coaster Tycoon Gold Package includes the expansion packs, and can often be found in stores or online for under $30.