Product Reviews

Hospital Tycoon is a resource-management and problem-solving strategy game (like Sim City or Theme Park) set in the middle of a zany hospital soap opera. It tries hard to be funny, but the humour mostly misses the mark, and the game lacks any real depth.

The basic objective is to cure patients so that they give you money, which gives you the means to cure more patients and make more money. There are two modes of play. Story mode provides a friendly guided introduction to the game, with set objectives for each level, romantic cut-scenes and onscreen guidance from your assistant. Sandbox mode offers a more flexible environment

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in which you can set the amount of cash you start with and build your own hospital from scratch before tackling a range of outlandish illnesses.

As new patients are admitted, your dedicated staff must research their medical conditions and provide you with a list of the equipment they need to cure them. Your job is to buy this without going bankrupt. Fail to do so, and you'll find the grim reaper stalking the halls of your hospital.

Once you've bought the equipment and hired the staff, the hospital more or less takes care of itself until the next new disease comes along. Obviously, using real diseases would be tasteless, so instead you'll find yourself curing conditions such as Jibba Jabba and Leaping Cough. These present symptoms that usually include a range of 'wacky' (not to mention annoying) sound effects and, as this is a family-friendly title, no gore.

You can track the progress of individual patients and micro-manage your staff's interpersonal relationships. However, you can't direct their work, which can be frustrating.

Despite its setting, Hospital Tycoon offers nothing new. It quickly becomes repetitive, and the hospital soap theme doesn't add any actual interest or involvement.