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Classic Review: Coaster: Part 2

© Dan Finkelstein

That would have been a great "game" with just the basic designing and building modes, although Disney threw in another feature that was the icing on the cake: While riding the coaster, six "virtual people" would actually ride along with you, and after it was over, would give their rating of the ride. The six people were very different -- one cowboy-type guy likes coasters with lots of ups-and-downs. The "grandma character" likes hard left turns. The "surfer dude" likes inversions, while the little kid likes mega-speed. Only the most highly skilled coaster designers will have the ability to please them all.

This game is really great, and it has a permanent spot on my hard drive (at under a meg in size, it doesn't take up much space), although one day I'd like to see a sequel with more features. For instance, today's coasters have more than just loops and corkscrews... they have diving loops, boomerang elements, heart line rolls, and more that designers make up with every new coaster that opens. I would like to see a program that would allow you to manipulate the track, piece by piece, in a greater way than you can in "Coaster."

Still, I cannot rave enough about this game. However, Computer Gaming World, the premier gaming magazine, named Coaster one of their "50 worst games ever" a few months ago. When I saw that, I was outraged -- obviously these people didn't like rollercoasters, or something! Well, consider this article my retaliation. If you like rollercoasters, and always wanted to build one, you must find this game in the "discount bin" of your local software store and buy it. I guarantee you'll be happy.

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