Addictive building management sim
An intriguing little spin off from the hugely successful SimCity series, SimTower is very different from its cousins, but presents an experience that is likely to split gamers into two camps. On the one hand there are those who will enjoy its open-ended nature and addictive qualities, while others will find its slow pace frustrating. Gameplay wise, SimTower follows the general idea of earlier games but, as the name suggests, focuses on building and maintaining a tower block, with the ultimate aim of creating a five-star skyscraper. As ever, players must place facilities such as restaurants, gyms and office space while doing their very best to keep their tenants' stress levels down. To keep you on your toes, random events like terrorist attacks, VIP visits or the discovery of hitherto unsuspected gold pop every fairly regularly and which all require careful consideration to deal with in the best way. SimTower maintains the series' sense of accomplishment, and it as satisfying as ever to watch your building become ever more successful and your tenants ever happier. The game's non-linear nature encourages different approaches and strategies, adding to its replay value and while the graphics are nothing spectacular, this can certainly be overlooked. However, a slightly bigger problem which may prove off-putting for many, is the game's slow pace, with a lot of waiting around for resources to build up before you can actually do anything. If you have the patience though, this is a rewarding and addictive little management sim.
