As an opener, I still have no idea who out there has access to a PC, or
indeed how many still
object to the occasional computer game review, but here it is anyway. For
those of you who
have the hardware and find it increasingly difficult to get several people
together for a four
hour game of 1830, this program will be a required purchase. It is true
to the original
boardgame in all but minor aspects and supports solitaire and multi-player
settings. The
artificial intelligence is the best I've seen for a while and offers quite
respectable opponents.
Best of all, the financial administration and routines are so fast that
the entire game can be
played to completion in around an hour.
Add to that a whole raft of difficulty settings and options, including
the wonderful prospect
of random maps, and you have a package that is not only well worth the
asking price, but
which represents a veritable bargain. As a guide, I played five normal
length games to
conclusion in the first evening, winning just two. With all due modesty,
the computer
opponents are rather useful, no doubt enjoying the input from several top
level 18xx players,
and quite frankly I found them tough to beat. It is also possible to play
the game `hot seating'
with up to five other humans. Unlike most computer endeavours which are
strictly solo, there
is some merit in this as the speed benefits are huge, but the temptation
to simply get out the
board and tiles must still be overwhelmingly strong.
Where the game really scores is in reducing the not inconsiderable
administration to
milliseconds of processor time. Share prices, rule infringements, cash
transactions and optimal
routes are automatically calculated with breathtaking speed which allows
you to concentrate
on laying track and poring over the many graphs and statistics on offer.
Vital information
such as revenue and share price is constantly available, which is pleasing,
though P/E ratios
aren't. In fact, the resolution is so fast compared to its manual cousin
that the game seems
way too short -- something I thought I'd never say about the 18xx system.
Fortunately there
is an option for extended play that will see some complex networks, diesels
and plenty of
time to savour a long term strategy (and, oddly, to spot more easily the
underlying fudges within the system).
18xx gamer heaven? Well, almost. While Avalon Hill have thrown everything
into play
flexibility, they have made a major gaffe with the graphics. Incredibly,
they are VGA. Not
the glorious Super VGA of World at War or Flight Commander 2, but chunky,
outdated
VGA. Amazing. If there is one specialist area that desperately needs SVGA
it is maps, hex
grids and, of course, railway tracks. And the map, with its complex track
arrangements, cries
out for a zoom feature which if there, I couldn't find. I realise all this
is mainly down to the
developers -- Simtex -- but Avalon Hill must have had the final say. The
overall result is not
quite what it might have been; with an improved display it could have been
an exemplary piece of conversion work.
But graphics apart, 1830 is still a superb piece of software. It permits
you to test out all those
left field plans and perfect plays, it enables you to quickly get up to
speed as a quality player
(even I am starting to understand the stock market tactics) and, more to
the point, allows you
to play exactly when you like and on your own if necessary. As I've said,
the game system
has its deficiencies, but many would disagree and in most respects 1830
can be considered
nothing short of a classic. This program will both enhance your enjoyment
and appreciation
of the boardgame and represents a highly satisfying diversion in its own
right. Highly recommended.
Mike Siggins
SWD: As you know, I am not particularly fond of computer games. I
own a few and play them occasionally, but I continue to feel that games are
social things and so much more enjoyable when played in the company of
friends. However, I agree with Mike on this one. It is very good indeed,
with computer opponents strong enough to keep you on your toes. They collude
to a certain extent, but no more than human opponents would in a game where
you were regarded as the strongest player at the table. For example, at the
start, when the first set of companies are being floated, they will buy shares
in each other's companies, but not in yours. You must float your company
without help, but this is fair enough. You ought to be on your own at this
stage and when it gets to running the companies the computer opponents function
independently. The one point on which my experience differs from Mike's
concerns the speed at which the program runs. Most of the time it is, as he
says, commendably fast, but I find that if the track gets really complicated
towards the end of the game the program slows dramatically as each company
which still has money to spend carefully sifts through all its options on
token placement and network improvement.