Game: Theme Park
Platform: PC
Year Released: 1994



Alas, a PC game graces Throwback Thursday! Actually, I did a lot of computer gaming as a child, and Theme Park was always one of my favorites. Released long before Roller Coaster Tycoon, Thrillville, and all of those other clones, this game defined not only the rollercoaster genre, but the entire business-management genre of video games to come. Who would have thought that managing a business would translate so well into the world of video games?

Now, keep in mind that I’ve never played any of the other sim amusement park games, so I don’t know how it compares in terms of challenge and fun factor. In Theme Park, you start out with a wide-open United Kingdom park ground, and it’s up to you to build it up. You’re given a few thousand dollars to start and have access to four rides and four non-ride attractions (restaurants, coffee shops, games) to start. It’s up to you to set up the rides, hire the staff, and place the décor, and you decide when your park is ready to open. However, you can’t take too long getting things ready, because the longer the gates are shut, the longer you go without making a profit.



It sounds easy, but things can quickly get overwhelming, especially when the days are flying by and the cash is draining out of your pocket. Luckily, there’s an optional in-game tutorial, which the beginning player would be wise to use. In addition to controlling the visual aspects of the park, you’re also in charge of what goes in behind the scenes. You have to decide how much to invest in new rides, shops, and staff training; the more you put in, the more money you spend every month, but if you don’t invest, your park will never expand. It’s a very delicate balance. The player also has to be on top of food and drink supplies, making sure the shops stay stocked. You can’t make a profit if there’s nothing to sell, after all!

While all of this is going on, the park grounds are general mayhem, and the way rides and shops are placed has a definite effect on how smoothly things are run. Place smelly outhouses too close to classy restaurants, or a rollercoaster next to a snack stand, and your guests are going to be puking all over the place. Oh yes, things will get gross, so you better make sure there’s enough janitors on hand to clean it up.



After fourteen years, I’m happy to say that this game is still addictive and fun. Just writing about it makes me want to go back and play it now. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s not without flaws. Some aspects of the game have a steep and frustrating learning curve, even with the tutorial (and, let’s face it, the tutorial is pretty boring). Later in the game, trying to figure out how to build a roller coaster or tube ride piece by piece can lead to wasted time and money. Your employees will sometimes not do their jobs properly or quickly enough, leading to a dirty park or unfixed rides that eventually explode. It’s also kind of annoying that new rides take a long time to show up in the park, even if you invest a lot of money in the research for them; this may expand the game’s life, but sometimes things get a little dull in the meantime.

Now that I’m older and more seasoned, the original problems of this game are made more obvious, and it’s easy to see that there are some areas that could have used a little more work. It may not be a perfect game, but it’s still so much fun that I’ve always been willing to overlook all of its imperfections. The good news about this one is that it was remade for the Nintendo DS last year, and guess what? It works great with the DS’s touch screen. Though I’ve picked up that one, I haven’t forgotten my PC roots. Theme Park made the business simulation genre what it is today, and it’s well worth the time and money spent.

Previously on Throwback Thursday...

California Games

X-Men vs. Street Fighter

Rayman

Tron

Super Mario Bros. 2: The Lost Levels

Street Sk8er

Pokemon Stadium

Gex

Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition

A Boy and His Blob

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

Sports Talk Baseball

Crystalis