3. Disney's Coaster
"Coaster" was a game that was in development so long, I remember writing a letter to the development team asking about it's status. Thankfully, the team (which consisted of one head programmer) eventually finished this title, and Coaster went on to become a model of what rollercoaster games should be. The game is tiny, amazingly easy to learn, and still is entertaining and fun. Sure, today the graphics are a bit dated, but this was 1993: then, the 3-D editor (which allowed you to rotate your track as you were working on it) was state-of-the-art, as was the "ride" mode, which let you sit on the coaster, complete with cool sound effects and screams from your fellow passengers.
Finding a copy of Coaster these days is difficult, but if you search high and low, you might find one in your favorite computer store's discount bin. For my "Classic Review" of Coaster from awhile back, click here.
2. Sim Theme Park
Sim Theme Park was a bells-and-whistles update to a classic Sim game, "Theme Park", created by Bullfrog Software back in, oh, 1991 or thereabouts. The original was a highly addicting "God" game, casting the player in the role of an amusement park creator. Rollercoaster design was a minor part of the game in "Theme Park", but since the engine was 2-D, you couldn't actually ride your creations anyway.
However, Bullfrog's 2000 update to their original game brings over the same gameplay, but throws a complex 3-D graphics engine into the mix. The point of the game is the same: create an award-winning theme park. However, for us coaster buffs, Sim Theme Park also contains a very well-executed coaster designer, which features several different styles of coasters, easy to use design controls, and a nice ride mode with quality sound effects and physics model (though getting your car stuck on the track is impossible, since the game will throw in a lift-hill when necessary)
Sim Theme Park was re-released in 2000 as "Theme Park World", a strange sequel which plays almost exactly like the original. I'm not sure of the difference, but both contain the impressive coaster simulator.
1. UltraCoaster and No Limits (tie)
In terms of quality coaster sims, no one makes 'em quite like coaster fans. Both of these dedicated coaster creators are works of a dedicated programmer/coaster buff, and both contain impressive 3-D graphics engines and high-tech editors.
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