DESCRIPTION

Based on Sid Meier's classic computer game Railroad Tycoon, Railroad Tycoon II puts you in the shoes of a "Man of Iron" — an entrepreneur from the days when railroads were the veins and arteries of every city, town and industrial center on the planet.

You start with enough cash to buy a locomotive or two, some stations and enough tracks to connect them. What happens next in this real time strategy game depends on your ability to leverage your investments, out maneuver your competitors, excite your shareholders and please your passengers.

In single player action, the campaign mode offers a series of 18 scenarios of increasing complexity and difficulty. If you're not up to playing a full campaign, select one of 15 individual maps in the game and play a single scenario to reach a preset goal. Sandbox mode allows you to simply lay down track and run your railroad without time limits, goals or opponents. Railroad Tycoon II also provides a map editor that lets you create customized scenarios.

In multiplayer mode, you can play against other human players via TCP/IP or an AppleTalk network (Windows and Macintosh users cannot join forces in the multiplayer arena). This version is supported by GameRanger, an online multiplayer service dedicated exclusively to Macintosh users.

Other features in Railroad Tycoon II include 59 historically accurate locomotives, 34 types of cargo to transport, a timeline ranging from the late 1880s to 2000, multiple resolutions, full motion video clips, various camera angles with zoom capability and locales throughout the world. ~ John Rawlins, All Game Guide