bit-tech Shopping: Electronic Arts SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
• Microsoft Windows 98
• Microsoft Windows ME
• Microsoft Windows XP

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: Detailed graphics; tons of options and controls; different gameplay modes

Weaknesses: 3D views limited to 4 angles - makes some lots on hills hard to see; no Godzilla-monster like previous versions

Summary: SimCity has come a long way over the years. This latest version brings updates the graphics and gameplay to what you'd expect from a modern computer game - it almost feels like a real city at times. I was really impressed by the sheer amount of control that it gives the player.This is a great game for all ages and has different levels of difficulty, for beginners who just want to get a city going, on up to advanced players who want challenges that require more strategic thinking. Be warned, though: this is a game that will keep you busy for a couple hours at a time if you want to get anything out of it!

Rating: 8

Time with product: 1

Strengths: Good graphics. Ability to zoom in at better quality than before. Ability to play with characters from the Sims. Original and expansion in one package.

Weaknesses: Annoying bugs that require patching.

Summary: SimCity 4 improved quite a lot from the previous games of the SimCity franchise. The game uses 3D engine to deliver better graphics than previous games. The buildings look more realistic and have better shadows, the people and vehicles also looks better. It is possible to zoom in at the city and have a better look at the people, vehicles, buildings and such, than the previous games. Custom characters from the Sims can also be used in SimCity 4, making it much more fun to have characters with desirable personalities. It is also fun to see how characters from the Sims react outside of the Sims' house view. The Deluxe Edition is good since it bundles the original SimCity 4 and the expansion together at fairly good price. That way, there is no need to buy them separately. The game is fun and all, but there are some annoying bugs that require patching in order to make the game run smoothly and enjoyable. It is a good thing that Electronic Arts provided patches for some of the major issues and made them available for manual patching, since their autopatching was painful and buggy. Overall, the game provided much more eye candy than the previous games in the series and hence it is quite enjoyable to look at the city and citizens with good graphics. For SimCity fans and the Sims fans alike, this game provides good fun without confined to a single house!