I've watched ER fairly consistently since its first season, and it's remained one of my favorite shows. I'm happy to say that for the most part, the game ER does a decent job of allowing players to extend their enjoyment of the show away from the TV.

The premise of the game is somewhat similar to the Sims concept in that the main character evolves due to interactions and choices made during the course of the game. The hospital is filled with various people, all who will remember and act accordingly to how they are treated by the main character.

Unlike the Sims, there is only one character who will be controlled by the player. At the beginning of the game, players will be able to choose physical characteristics, and also choose how many points to assign to specific abilities necessary for success at the hospital. These abilities will continue to improve, as the intrepid intern shows his or her stuff in the waiting room.

On startup, Dr. Carter greets the newest intern, along with comments and asides from fellow physicians Dr. Pratt and Dr. Susan. The real actors lent their voices to this effort, which really adds to the enjoyment. The dialogue is spot on with the general sassy attitude of the show, and is very entertaining. Dr. Carter informs the intern about general procedures, and assigns her first case. Each new job is added to a task list, which is displayed as separate items in the upper left corner. When completed, they will show as completed and disappear. The tasks involve treating general patients from the Waiting Room for the most part, with various other jobs added from time to time, like treating special patients, interacting with specific people or doing several things together. As in the TV show ER, some of the these patients are eccentric, to say the least.

This poor intern isn't given any slack on her first day, and must jump right into the pool of patients. First, she has to look them over, then choose a bed to give them. Then, she has to follow them to their room and treat them. Sometimes the initial treatment is all that is needed, but other times more things may be needed for an accurate diagnosis, such as lab work or a consultation with a doctor. Many times there are multiple patients to be treated at once, along with other tasks, and the clock is steadily ticking. And besides all that, this poor gal has to suck up to the nursing staff and schmooze with the doctors, to help build up character points. And let's not forget basic needs like eating and bathing! During the game, interactions with the staff and patients leads to different bonus awards, which can add to the intern's abilities and health points. Grateful patients give gifts, as do the nurses and other people. These items can be kept and used, or traded.

Time is of the essence, and there are many things to do. Fortunately, besides the task list, the staff will help remind the hapless intern of things that need to be attended to pronto, before the clock runs out. Also, the current patients have their own little icons which display their current status at the top of the screen.

With all that this game has going for it, the interface is a slight detraction, as it's non-intuitive and clunky. Even with the excellent tutorial guide, the menus and commands are difficult to remember and master, which, coupled with the fast pace of the game, can lead to some frustration. Navigating is annoying at times, too, as the intern often won't react to or act on certain people and things unless she's standing right beside them. And, make sure your machine is a top-end one, as the game can run extremely slowly on computers right at the specified technical requirements. My computer (P4, GHZ 2.5, 256 RAM) is mostly above the recommended requirements, except for the Video RAM (my Video card is an Nvidia GE4 at 64 RAM, which is the minimum requirement, I believe 128 may be the recommended). At first, the game ran extremely slowly, but speeded up after I updated the video driver. However, the gameplay was still choppy at times.

The appearance of the game is very "Simish" as to the general appearance of the characters, but doesn't look quite as good. The main doctors look the best out of the bunch. The hospital looks pretty much like the basic layout of the TV show. On the whole, the graphics are pretty average.

I've enjoyed playing this game, as the designers have done a really good job of capturing the feel of the show. The interface could stand some improvement, but once learned, isn't so bad. The biggest potential problem is the technical requirements, players need to be sure they have a fast computer to run this game. An excellent choice for fans of ER, and also a good choice for any simulation enthusiast, even if they've never seen ER.

Gameplay: 7.5
An enjoyable outing with the group from ER. Having the real actors is a hoot! The tasks are involving, and having gifts that add to abilities is a fun feature.

Graphics: 7.0 
Pretty average graphics.

Sound: 8.0
The dialogue is well-written, and fits in with the general atmosphere of the TV show well. Many of the voices are the real thing, and the sound effects are nicely done, down to the "snick" of the sliding doors.

Difficulty: Medium
The game is of a medium difficulty, with some easy tasks, and some hard ones. The interface makes things harder than they have to be at times.

Concept: 7.5
Simulation games are a dime a dozen these days, but this one is well designed and the presentation is good.

Multiplayer: N/A 

Overall: 7.5
An above-average simulation game based on a popular show, ER is a fun outing for fans of the show. Even players who have never played ER should enjoy this game, if they like simulations, as there are lots of things to do to keep busy.