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THE IDEA OF A theme park simulation at first glance does not seem very exciting, and conjures up images of a sad little country fair with faded bunting and cobbled-together rides that promise much and deliver little but a sad whimper. The Rollercoaster Tycoon series is, however, made of sterner stuff and is about building a rootin' tootin' park of fun and adventure.

This is a true simulation based around a whole park. You get to design the layout, build the rides, set out the food stalls and advertise your park for business. The real key, of course, is how many punters you get through the park gates and how they feel about your creation. Fail to maintain it, or build rides that kill rather than thrill - then don't be surprise if the patronage drops off. If you do strike a balance between food, entertainment and thrills then you are on your way to building an empire.

It comes as little surprise the that the RollerCoaster Tycoon series has had such a big following with 1 & 2 being released as well as a stack of expansion packs. What's always been lacking in the series has been a true 3D environment. Enter RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 - in fact it should be called RollerCoaster 3D. Right from when this, the latest in the series was mooted, the promise was there for some great graphics.

However, we can only say they have far exceeded that promise and are delivering a theme park world like no other to date.

Why so special? Well for a start the ability to zoom and pan across your park and take in the sights and sounds of a beautifully rendered park is something fans of the previous series have only dreamed about. The myriad of customer types and the ability to create your own "families?of customers will deliver far more personal ownership into the game than ever before. Throw into this mix night scenes, the ability to set your music tracks, and create park-wide camera snapshots to share with your friends, then you are getting the idea that this is a quantum leap from previous games in the series.

It doesn't just stop there, however. You will be able to import rides from previous games and have them converted into the new 3D world. In sandpit mode you will be able to build parks far bigger than before (restricted of course by the power of your PC). And with expansion packs promised in the future this game is a must buy for all such simulation fans.

Features include:

• Stunning 3D Graphics: Amazing detail truly brings the park to life in full 3D. Complete control over the 3D camera views: View the park from the sky or experience the action at ground level.
  
• Ride the rides. Feel the visceral experience of riding the coasters that you design from the front seat –it may even turn your stomach. New Coaster Cam?feature gives you a 360?view allowing you to see the guests riding behind you or view the park from the coaster.
  
• Enhanced park guests: Diverse characters are brought to life with changing facial expressions and hundreds of animations including running, jumping, dancing, and of course blowing chunks.
  
• You Asked For It!: RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 adds many new improvements features to the series asked for by the fans.
  
• Build rides easier with the enhanced user interface
  
• Light up the night with the new park lighting system
  
• View your park from any angle with complete camera control
  
• See breathtaking park vistas including realistic sunsets, moonlight, weather patterns and more
  
• Create your own family members and friends and add them to your park
  
• Respond to the individual likes and dislikes of kids, teens and adults
  
• See fully animated individuals (including facial expressions!) exhibit intelligent behaviour, both individually and as a crowd
  
• Create pyrotechnic wonders with the new Fireworks MixMaster
  
• Build your dream park with unlimited funds in "Sandbox" mode
  
• Add music to rides and fireworks shows from your own mp3 library
  
• Includes many "New-to-RollerCoaster Tycoon?rides and attractions
  
• Design your park with 5 fun themes: Generic, Spooky, Western, Adventure and Sci-fi

System requirements as follows: - Operating System: Windows?98/Me/2000/XP (Windows?XP recommended)
Processor: Pentium?III 733 MHz or compatible (Pentium?4 1.3 GHz or compatible recommended)
Memory: 128 MB RAM; 256 MB for XP (256 MB; 384 MB for XP recommended)
Hard Disk Space: 600 MB free
CD–ROM Drive: 4X or faster (8X or faster recommended)
Video: 32 MB video card with hardware T&L support, such as the ATI Radeon?or GeForce?2 (64MB video card with hardware T&L support, such as ATI Radeon?64 MB SDR or GeForce?2 Pro recommended)*
Sound: Windows?98/Me/2000/XP–compatible 16–bit sound card* (Windows?compatible sound card containing Dolby Digital Live required for Dolby Digital audio)
DirectX? DirectX?version 9.0 (included) or higher

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is scheduled for release today.

Show me the screenshots!