Trainz

their choice and drive around on the tracks of North America, Australia, or the UK.  The types of trains, and what is between the locomotive and the caboose can be chosen before embarking on your journey.  The different tracks available have multiple points of diversion and are enough to keep armchair conductors occupied until they get around to designing their own tracks.  There are three views available in the driver mode; one being a cockpit view, another being a chase view, and the last being a chase view which changes to a track camera view at specific points of interest. 

Actually driving the train isn’t that complicated despite the lack of a tutorial or any directly relevant material in the manual.  While I can only assume that the driving experience is fairly accurate due to the detail included in what can be manipulated from the cabin, the overall driving experience isn’t that rewarding or exciting.  This may stem from the fact that I’m not a fan of trains, but one would think that the developers could have designed a game that would appeal to a larger audience.  Once again this is not entirely the fault of the game, but I wonder if train nuts will be driving their favorite trains over and over again around the track because they find it so exciting. 

In an attempt to create some excitement, I attempted repeatedly to derail my train and met with only limited success.  I did however manage to plow through a building as I did not stop at the end of the line.  There were, however, no big explosions or scenes of mass destruction to whet my appetite.

Finally, I suspect that the surveyor mode is where most gamers will find themselves fiddling about.  In this mode, new tracks can be created with terrain, tracks, objects, and cameras fully customizable.  While the concept is fairly straight forward, actually designing and laying out your new track is a daunting task due to the clunky interface.  This is due in part to the awkward way in which the 3D camera is manipulated with the mouse, and in part to the way in which the different terrains, objects and track sets are accessed.   

Thankfully, despite the complexity of the Surveyor mode, the manual provides enough detail on how to manipulate and navigate this mode adequately.  However, while the manual is quite thorough and thick, it still manages to neglect a tutorial on how to actually get your train started in the driver mode.  Overall, the game offers a fair amount to begin with, and new trains, objects, and track types are available for download from Auran as they become available.  Fans of trains who are owners of PC’s and miniature train sets should be satisfied with this game. 

Despite the fact that most genres of game can capture my undivided attention, simulation just isn’t my forte.  However, in the past, some simulations have managed to capture my and the general videogame fan’s favor.  While not really a train simulator but more of a miniature train set simulator, Trainz comes through as geared for the model train set.  While it's by no means a bad game, it can never be a "great" game due to its extremely limited appeal.

- Mark Leung

(March 6, 2002)