Like Flight Simulator, Sim City is one of the more venerable titles of computer gaming, with a long and chequered history. The game is unique in that it is freeform - with a regular game, there are no set goals; the idea is to build and nurture your own city, and help it develop from a small village to a mighty metropolis and beyond. The emphasis is firmly on creativity and imagination, along with a test of your ability to juggle the financial resources available. The interface of the game is by and large simple to understand. On the left is a toolbar containing all the various buildings, zones and other city-related articles you can purchase. The main portion of the screen is devoted to the actual city map, which is viewed from a top-down perspective. Control is via a cursor, which obviously lends itself to using a mouse, rather than the keyboard. Playing without a mouse, however, although slightly more demanding and occasionally a little frustrating, is actually not as bad as I had originally feared it would be. If you do have a mouse, however, it certainly makes a difference! The graphics are simplistic by today's standards, yet are clear enough to be easily recognisable and work well on the palmtop. It also helps that there is very little animation and, for that which does exist, is nothing too demanding for the LCD screen. Sound, as you would expect using the built-in speaker, is nothing special and is often more of an annoyance than a pleasure to listen to. It is, however, the actual gameplay that appeals the most. Offering conclusive proof that computer games don't have to be violent to be fun to play, Sim City's gameplay is there in abundance, seemingly untouched by age. There is something special about creating and nurturing your city, watching and helping it develop and thrive. You almost feel a sense of loss if a fire breaks out, or another disaster strikes, as they invariably do. And there is nothing quite like the sense of achievement you feel once you build that huge, shiny, new $10,000 airport! Nothing's perfect in life, however, and Sim City is no exception. If you manage to use up all the land space available, which isn't overly difficult, there's little else to do but to sit back and watch as the years tick by. And therein lies the flaw in the "freeform" gameplay argument: what do you do once you've explored all the options that exist? Sim City, unfortunately, doesn't offer unlimited gameplay options; thus, eventually, you will run out of things to do other than sit back, make the occasional repair or renovation, but generally just watch passively. Perhaps the closest analogy is that of building a Lego toy (for those familiar with Lego!) - often, the actual fun is in the creating. Once finished, the actual toy is often quickly abandoned. In all, however, the faults subtract little from the overall quality of the game. Sim City is one of those rare games which not only has stood up well to all that the passing of time has had to throw at it, but also works well on the palmtop. If you do manage to find a copy, I recommend that you very hastily snap it up! |
