An update of one of gaming's true classics

IT'S ALMOST 15 years since SimCity burst onto the gaming scene. A true breakthrough title that appealed to a massive demographic - many of whom had never played a game before - tens of thousands of copies were sold.

At one time it seemed almost every middle-aged businessman or woman had a copy hidden away on the works' laptop.

Since then we've had dozens of spin-offs and two genuine sequels. And even though this, the third sequel, up-dates the gameplay with lush graphics and one or two extra graphical tricks it's still essentially the same city builder it always used to be.

The toolbars have been cleaned up but veteran cyber-Mayors will recognise all the palettes at their disposal.

Start your city in god-mode, excavate the ground and plan the terrain before installing the infrastructure for your new metropolis.

Then you decide on your city zones (don't go building a factory next door to the main park or no one will go there) and then sit back to watch as things come to life.

Of course the biggest difference between this version and the original are the graphics. The modern-day muscle of a PC allows you to really zoom all the way down to ground level to scrutinise each building and factory.

Anyone familiar with the earlier games will know there were one or two strategies guaranteed to take your city building a long way. Beware, though, that Maxis is wise to these now and some of your tried 'n tested moves may not work any more.

Is it better than the insanely popular series that grew out of SimCity, the Sims?

The signs are that the guys behind SimCity have taken a long hard look at their big rival and taken the best aspects of that series to improve the original.

That's why the game characters hold a parade in your honour when things go well or why the organisers of the state fair will choose your city for their annual shindig.

You have to work for these things (sending your mayor shmoozing among the local populace or launching a PR blitz to advertise your city's willingness to stage tourist friendly events) but when you get 'em it's every bit as rewarding as success with a Sims family.

It's a game with a sense of humour, too. The first time I spotted a trailer park in one of my less affluent areas I had to laugh out loud. Put in the work and your neighbours will change dramatically.

The difference between the Sims and SimCity is like the contrast between a goldfish bowl and an aquarium. One is fun in a cosy, intimate kind of way while the other is engrossing because of its diversity and constantly changing environment.

It's entirely likely that if you enjoyed the Sims then you'll find SimCity equally challenging.

As an update of one of gaming's true classics SimCity 4 is a worthy addition to any gamers' library.

Steel Beasts. Format: PC CD ROM. Publisher: Just Play

Steel Beasts is a remarkable game but not because it does things so much better than the opposition - it's a straightfoward tank sim but nothing flash.

Nor does it have any jaw dropping graphical pyrotechnics. This is one game that will run on a lowly 266Mhz PC fitted with any old 4MB graphics card.

Developed by an indie-team well away from the limelight, it's purely a hardcore sim - there are no flashy movies and no Medal of Honour-style cinematics - just a well thought-out representation of what it's like to drive a main battle tank.

So what's so remarkable?

The fact that Steel Beasts is the work of just one man: Al Delaney who started the whole things as a post-university time-waster back in 1996. The resultant game has been borne out of his enthusiasm for the subject matter.

That's pretty incredible in these days of multi-million dollar gaming epics with programming teams running into the hundreds. The gameplay was tested by US Army tank commanders and this kind of knowledge is worth far more than lush graphics.

Steel Beasts also shows what can be done with patience and passion - it's by no means the poor relation of much more expensive productions from larger code houses.

There's a refreshing emphasis on tactics at the expense of driving a tank. You'll spend much of your time moving your units and deploying your weaponry against the enemy. There are more than 40 missions in the original plus another 30 in this gold edition created by gaming and military experts.

Single player missions can be carried out as the gunner within the tank, or as the company commander.

Multiplayer mode can support multiple players in a single tank playing in cooperative mode, or in separate tanks to battle against each other. Mission and map editors are also included that allow players to modify the game's missions as they see fit.

Published: 24/01/2003