Description:
Maxis' Sim line of games has sold more than 7 million copies over time. Ten years after releasing the original, they've returned to revamp the one that started it all. SimCity 3000, like its predecessors, can't be won or lost. You create and manage the best virtual city you can, using the colorful but simple interface. At worst you'll run out of money, but by listening to your advisers and patiently zoning, developing, and budgeting, you'll see your turn-of-the-century homes become millennial skyscrapers. You can start with a fictional model, a randomly generated terrain, or a landscape based on a real geographic location. As you balance transit, commercial, and industrial needs (to name a few), place famous landmarks (like the Eiffel Tower), make deals with neighboring cities, and limit pollution, you'll be tempted to lose yourself in the incredibly fine detail. Zooming in shows the population strolling and traffic jamming, and the ambient soundscape completes the immersion. If you feel like you've seen it all, Maxis's Web site offers new maps and buildings as free downloads. Fair warning to prospective tenants: to experience SimCity 3000 in all its uptown splendor, you'll need to take the system requirements seriously. --Jack Gardiner
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