Thrillville: Off the Rails

Now, to me, the concept of going off the rails in Thrillville brings back too many bad memories of my holiday in Bankok, but let's not go into that.

This is, in fact, an accomplished theme park management sim in a similar vane to games like Rollercoaster Tycoon. The difference here is that as well as building the attractions and handling the management side of things you also get to act like a big kid and test out all the rides.

You get to take control of one of five different theme parks, each with three subsections with its own subject matter. In each of these subsections there are two places to put rollercoasters and three areas for smaller rides and shops and cafes.

It sounds complicated but it isn't. Besides being responsible for designing the rollercoasters, training the staff, setting prices, advertising, managing the budget etc.

you must also be the man on the ground, ensuring that people are having as much fun as possible.

This is where this game differs from other theme park simulations because you're actually immersed in the park, rather than just looking at it from above.

It basically functions as a series of mini-games, where you must race bumper cars, test out coin-op games like Guantlet and Gradius and just generally enjoy yourself.

It makes for a refreshing diversion, but there is a sting in the tail as this hands-on aspect of the game can become frustrating. That's because besides just trying out the attractions, you must also wander round talking to the customers in order to make friends with them (or even become their sweetheart).

Finding the right thing to say to them from a random list of subjects soon becomes pretty tedious.

Nevertheless, Thrillville is a thoroughly enjoyable game for thrillseekers everywhere and with plush graphics and goofy sound effects and voices, you'll be begging your mum to let you stay longer.