strategy

I can't explain what this game/simulation has brought to my PC game experience. Once I popped the CD into the drive and began the game, I suddenly felt this was the game I was waiting for, what my PC was waiting for in fact!

OK, enough of that flowery talk, in simple terms this is a superb train simulator, the best. It allows you to drive a various selection of engines (diesel, electric, steam) and trains (passenger, goods) along real life routes and tracks, with great detail paid to scenery and rolling stock. There are many enjoyable activities to keep you immersed for the forseeable future and I can see you playing this one for a long time to come, particulary with the subsequent add-ons giving the game an unlimited amount of shelf life.

This simulation will appeal to both serious train enthusiasts and the casual train admirer. Many may think this simulation is for and aimed at trainspotters, nothing could be further from the truth. It's got a wide appeal from the young to the old. Added to that, by driving on these routes, it also teaches you so much about foreign railways and the geography of foreign towns and cities.

Just perfect, a great gift for at anytime of the year!

This simulator is about as close as you can get to driving a real train. I've been thoroughly enjoying it since February 2002. I'm a retired electrical engineer who has always loved trains. With this simulator, it's Activities, and Explorations, and it's Add-Ons, I've been driving passenger and freight trains in the Unites States, England, Austria, Germany and Japan. I've been the engineer on electric, diesel, and steam locomotives. These are thrilling and challenging experiences. The Simulator comes with an Engineer's Manual that is 91 pages long and cram packed full of information. I've printed it out and put it in a three ring binder for study and ready reference. I've created a second book which I call "Train Routes" wherein I place maps of the routes, including stations, mileposts, geographical elevations, with additional helpful details and yard drawings I have researched and created from the programs. These are all intended to help me operate the railroads. This is not a simple, easy to run simulation, but once you've learned it, it is incredibly interesting, challenging, and plain fun ... it's addictive.

Installation problems were not too bad, but it appears that Microsoft's remedy for its created monumental boredom is to arrange periodic system crashes to wake you up. After several of these experiences I uninstalled this fiasco and added it to the other accumulated trash in my waste basket.