SimCity 4 (PC)

In common with other reviewers, the economic model is harder to manage: costs escalate much faster than revenues. This doesn't really interfere with gameplay, it just makes it more of a challenge and, I think, more realistic. The model will also please Keynesians out there - if your income is dangerously on the slide, a loan, a few capital projects and a bit of pump-priming works well. Also, be careful about where you put your industrial zones - far away for areas you want to be heavy industry, but (lucrative) high-tech likes to be near rich suburbs, and the surburbanites don't seem to mind.

In common with the economic model, the game makes you work before it rewards you with pretty skyscrapers. However, this is more realistic and it's worth the wait - I've just got my first 30 storey+ effort and it's very pretty.

The real quantum leap this game makes is the regional mode, where you link your cities up. This not only adds realism, it means you can "theme" your cities - sprawling regional hubs, blue-collar industry towns, beach towns, small rural settlements, all interacting with people commuting between them etc.

It's a wonderful game. Buy it, but buy a new computer first.

Sim City 4 is the 4th installment from the series of great games series. It is 4 times better in everything this time around though!

Graphics are Superb, astounding level of detail! You can zoom right out and see your sprawling metroplois or little town and watch fireworks explode in a glittering colourfull site. You can zoom right down and see the people walking on the sidewalks, the clothesline in the backyards, to the cars piling up in rush hour traffic. The level of details on the buildings, roads, mail boxes streetlamps is breathtaking you could spend hours just looking at all the detail. Then spend another few hours once it's gone into NIGHT TIME mode, then the city really comes alive! With musems search lights lighting up the sky.

Now there is NO DIFICULTY levels in Sim City, so be warned un-expierenced players will find it hard. But as long as you start up small it'll be ok! You do feel like you're running your own city when things really pick up! You can manage your schools' budgets, or have them outside with their boards on stirke! It takes a lot of figuring out, but once you've got a little city running it's very rewarding! You can really feel it's alive as you watch people and cars and everything going on in it.

This game is definatly worth the money, it includes the expansion pack with lots of added bonuses. A very good quality game that'll bring you hours of enjoyment! And with the great online site offering updates, NEW buildings to import into your game and a city exchange it simply doesn't get any better!

The graphics are superb. Its not like a simulation anymore, its more of a reality. You can actually see sims move around, talking to eachother, cars overtaking and having accidents, aircraft's taking off and landing in exactly the same way they do in reality and cruising over the clouds. Its amazing. There are also night and day effects which is a swell idea. Street lamps, house lights go on at night, giving a beautiful effect to your city. You can send Police Cruisers to make sure law and order is preserved. You have new God Like powers, such as manually changng night to day and vice versa, making storms and natural disasters. Beautifully renderd landscapes such as canyons, mountains and water effects add to realism.

System requirments are pretty high. Im playing Sim City 4 on a 1.6 Ghz P4, 356MB ram and a GForce4 64MB. It tends to get a bit slow when scrolling around in dense areas. Besides that, it works perfectly!