Blair's New NHS? (Theme Hospital (PC))

Member Name: JRW

Product:	Theme Hospital (PC)
Date:	01/08/00 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: comical graphics

Disadvantages: lacking in depth

How often have you thought that it’d be a good idea to manage a hospital? Well, if you’re like me then the thought won’t ever have entered your head.

Theme Hospital is the unlikely successor to Theme Park, which took the computer world by storm a few years ago. If you’ve played Theme Park you’ll understand the idea behind Theme Hospital as both games, apart from the graphics, are strikingly similar.

You probably are already guessing the scenario: build a hospital, hire doctors, cure lots of patients and advance to the next level. Well you are right and this is what you basically do (or are meant to do). You begin with a small plot of land and are given the brief to build up a decent reputation and cure so many people as you can before you can tackle the more advanced next stage. You begin by building various treatment rooms and facilities then you hire your staff. As soon as the patients walk through your doors, with comical illnesses such as bloaty head and spare ribs, it’s down to you to ensure that these guys are treated and treated quickly – you don’t want them dieing on you leaving blood on your hands.

Theme Hospital employs comic graphics so if you tend to faint at the sight of blood, then you should (no promises) be able to stomach this game. The graphics are very “clean” and neat and are a definite improvement (and so they should be) on Theme Park . However, it is in the game play area which houses Theme Hospital’s Achilles heel. There just isn’t the variety to this game that Theme Park had. It is a tad linear with you building rooms, hiring doctors and handymen, researching diseases and equipment and curing patients. Admittedly a similar formula worked wonders for Theme Park but we’ve now moved on and it isn’t as fun in the hospital environment as it was in an amusement park.

Summary: