Loco Mania (PC)

CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
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Overall score: 6.9 (3.0 stars)
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Gamespot editors' review

• Reviewed by: Brett Todd
• Reviewed on: 05/30/2007
• Released on: 05/08/2007

Don't let the name fool you. While Loco Mania sure seems like a run-of-the-mill train simulator at first glance, the first North American retail release from Czech developer 7FX is geared more for puzzle fans than the choo-choo set. Yet even though this might not be what you're expecting from the box cover, the gimmicky gameplay about dispatching trains has an arcade hook that ought to reel you in. If not for a few issues with the cumbersome interface and camera system, as well as one noteworthy technical quirk, this would be a perfect time killer about riding the rails.

Railroading in Loco Mania is mostly just for show. Although you play a train dispatcher overseeing rail lines that resemble the elaborate setups slapped together by model-train enthusiasts, the theme is no more than skin deep. Since the only goal here is to get trains from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time, you might as well be directing freeway traffic or guiding mice through a maze. There is no messing around with different classes of locomotives, no setting speed records with the 0-4-0 Grasshopper, no hauling coal from Pittsburgh to New York City, and no playing the stock market for fame and fortune.

So Sid Meier's Railroads! it ain't. Instead of trying to forge a Jay Gould-style shipping empire, you guide generic US- or Czech-style locomotives and their cars from entry points on each map to set destinations. Everything is color coded, making it a snap to check out which train needs to go where as soon as it appears. A train with a green icon above its locomotive has to be directed to the green exit, a train with a black icon has to make its way to the black exit, and so forth. The few variations include trains that have to make station stops before being allowed to depart the map, trains that have to exit before a timer expires, and trains that can't stop at all because of loads of hazardous materials. A brief tutorial is included, along with the option of activating pop-up assistance through the first mission, but help isn't needed to grasp the simple game mechanics.

Still, Loco Mania is one of those easy-to-learn puzzlers that is deceptively tough to master. Getting trains to their assigned stations and exits involves navigating through labyrinths of looping lines interconnected with switches that route trains onto different tracks. You need to study maps and strategize before letting even a single train get rolling, as you have to plot out switches and maximize efficiency. One switching mistake means a lot of wasted time, because trains move awfully slow in reverse and you can only halt them in odd places by turning a signal red or moving a two-way switch. But you can't put too much time into planning, either, as trains share entry and exit points at the edges of maps. Spend too long micromanaging the travails of one train, and you'll wind up getting bogged down in traffic jams with trains trying to enter and leave the map on the same lines.

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