Rails Across America Preview

Is it Risk? Or is it Monopoly? Maybe it’s a little of both.

Rails Across America, from Flying Lab Software and Strategy First, is not big on graphics, but it is big on strategic game play across a map of North America. The idea seems relatively simple – build a railroad empire. There are others trying to do the same thing, and it is up to you to succeed. You will have to manage your financial resources, call in favors from government officials, go head-to-head with the competition in some cities, and generally let nothing stand in your way.

This preview of the PC program arrived without a manual, forcing exploration of the disk, and guesswork. It wasn’t hard to figure out what to do. The player interface is very simple to use.

The year is 1870, the town is Seattle: Do you want to build north to Vancouver, British Columbia – an area that is bound to be a hot import location over the coming years? Perhaps you want to build through the timber country to the east, running a line to Pasco. Or maybe you seek warmer climes, and will opt to direct that line south to Portland, Ore., then on to Sacramento, in an effort to unite the West Coast.

Building a line takes time, and costs money. You can hire and fire managers for each line, must decide on what engine to put on the line for hauling freight and passengers, and keep the lines upgraded. As the game progresses in a turn-based fashion, you receive cards, which you can hang on to (such as the aforementioned favor from government officials), or sell off for the cash that each will bring you. And don’t forget to grease the wheels, and be nice to the union or you could be headed for a mess of trouble.

In the single player format, the computer plays the part of competitors. They will clash in a town and ‘go to war’ for the territory. It’s a case of one-upmanship that will break one, and leave the other more powerful and hungry for more.

The game will take it easy on you initially, but sooner or later, it’s going to be you that has to fight for your railroad’s life.

If playing against computer foes is not to your liking, the game can also be played in a multiplayer mode. The GameSpy Network is one place where you will be able to find opponents. The game can also be played over a LAN (Local Area Network), and TCP/IP Internet connection.

The game is not stunning graphically, consisting mostly of a colorful though two-dimensional map of North America, and report interfaces that key you into the workings of your railroad. If you are building a line, your turn will stall somewhat – at least in the building phase – while those about you battle it out. You can see the money floating away for each section of track you lay down. But while that is going on, you can plot your next move, and make some economic decisions.

This program is much like a board game that does most of the set-up work and card-shuffling, leaving players free to play and enjoy the game.

There is not much of an audio track present on the preview.

In all likelihood, Rails Across America will be rated for Everyone.

This is a game where what you think you know about history may help you in determining what lines to create. But more importantly, it is about bold moves, risk-taking, and managing your money because the player with the most cash, and toys (a.k.a. trains and track) at the end wins. The game may be simple to learn, but it will take time to master. If you always had a hankering to be a railroad tycoon, this could well be your chance.