railroad

Sid Meier's Railroads!
$19.99
I love this game! I've been a big fan of trains since I was a kid (I had a model set and all of that), so this one was obviously a draw for me. They do a wonderful job of making the game detailed enough that you can learn a thing or two. The supply and demand relationship is well modeled, so it plays into the real world function of railroads, to move products or people en masse, from where they are to where they want to be.

It doesn't get too complicated though, and can be played well without having to pay too much attention to a myriad of details. Obviously, you'll do better if you keep an eye on the market and all of the contributing factors, but you won't crumble into bankruptcy if you fail to read a newspaper headline.

The graphics are nice too, and offer much animation to appreciate. I recommend this one for any train fan.

The History of American Railroads: The Years of Steam
$8.98
Great DVD for steam train lovers. Lots of different type of steam engines and very interesting.

Railroad Tycoon 3
$19.99
I've been playing RRT3 for a few weeks now, and have to give it 2 thumbs up. Be prepared, it is quite different from RRT2 (which I loved for many years). The game play is different enough, that after struggling with the intricacies for a few days, I broke down (poor train joke) and went through the tutorial. Definitely a good idea, because RRT2 is EASY compared to this sequel.

The biggest change for me was that the profits on a load are WAY lower. No longer can you make an easy $1-2M by carting a few passengers really far away. Now, distance of the route makes little difference in the profit of the train. The player has to pay careful attention to what is needed where, the profit margins of freight to different destinations from each source, and sending passengers/mail 1 town away could give you more money than sending them 20 towns away.

That was a tough adjustment to make, but once you get the hang of it, you'll find that this game is just as fun as the one before it. I'm not going to delve into the enhanced graphics because I could really care less (they are pretty cool, though, I must admit).

Leapfrog Leap's Phonics Railroad
$29.99
Leap frog's phonics railroad & train are great! Best when bought new! But still great!