Theme Hospital - Calling all patients (Theme Hospital (PC))

Member Name: chris212

Product:	Theme Hospital (PC)
Date:	27/05/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: One of the greatest simulation games

Disadvantages: Perhaps slighly short at 15 levels

Theme Hospital in my opinion is one of the greatest non war simulations games that puts you in charge of an institution, in this instance a hospital. But be warned, you will become addicted to it.

I first tried Theme Hospital on the Playstation 2, as I borrowed it from my cousin for a day or two. It was not long after that when browsing in a game shop that I saw this game on offer as part of a three for £10 offer for the PC. The reason I decide the PC over the Playstaion 2 is that, the game is played through the use of a pointer. While it can be played with a Playstation controller, it is better off played with a mouse and if needed, a keyboard.

The premise of the game has you in the position of hospital manager in charge of the new local hospital that is in competition with other local hospitals. There are fifteen different levels within the game, which at the start of each level the player is given a new site to start building the hospital, with each new level the player will be given different aims and objectives, such as the number of patients to be treated in total or of a particular condition or to take in a certain amount of profit.

Within the game the player has control over a large number of items, such as the design of the rooms to who is to be hired to. There are four different types of professions that a player can hire these are doctors, nurses, receptionists and janitors. The doctors and the nurses treat the patients, but each can only treat certain types of conditions, as a doctor can only diagnose while a nurse can only work at a pharmacist. The receptionist is the first port of call that a patient will go to when they first arrive at the hospital as she will direct them to where to go; with out a receptionist the hospital will not operate. Although it would not seem an important job, the janitor is extremely important, as they maintain the machinery in the hospital, otherwise they will breakdown and clean up the hospital. If the hospital is not kept clean people will start being sick and spread a vomiting bug which puts people off from being treated at your hospital; also if the hospital is dirty you will see rats running through your hospital.

Additionally to this there are a number of rooms that can be built within the game, these ranges from the standard GP (General Practioner room) that is used to initially diagnosed a patient and to eventually decide on a treatment. The types of diagnosis rooms that are available to built range from the X-ray room to CT scanner. The types of treatment are the basic pharmacy to specific treatment rooms such as hair removal.

While this is a simulation do not expect a serious hospital game, as the whole game is set on comedy. This can be seen straight away from the cut scene introduction, to the types of diseases and treatments available to be purchased to treat these diseases.

The graphics of the game are spot on for the setting of the game, these are comical in design, while being well presented to the user. As they are bright and vivid that engages the user. Also because the game is not the newest, it will easily run on any machine that is built for Windows XP requirements. I can even run the game on a laptop!

One of the only criticisms of the game is that it is too short with only fifteen levels within the game. But then again, I got what I paid for the game, as part of a three for £10 bundle. When in actual fact I believe the game is worth a lot more than that. But this is only a minor criticism.

Overall I believe that the game is extremely good value for money, as what I have found is that although I have completed the game awhile ago, I still find myself drawn to playing the game again and again.

Summary: A great simulation game