By Paul Cockeram

No Angry Babies, Sore Feet, Or Waiting in Line in this Park:

RollerCoaster Tycoon II is on its way. Chris Sawyer, creator of the surprise hit RollerCoaster Tycoon, has probably adopted the perfect strategy for designing RollerCoaster Tycoon II: keep everything that worked in the first title and fix everything that didn\'t. Think of RollerCoaster Tycoon II in terms of pastry, and you\'ll see that the outside has become rich and flaky while the moist, chewy center remains. For example, players can now build and modify coasters outside actual game play, so they can work on their coasters without worrying about the bathrooms going to pot. Building is still done from the ground up, but the ceiling has been significantly raised, so coasters can build much higher and, therefore, become that much more exciting. New shops provide new sources of profit. Graphics have also been tweaked-one individual element of RollerCoaster Tycoon II has more animation than the whole last game.

However, Infogrames is most excited about their partnership with Six Flags theme parks. Several Six Flags parks are preloaded in this release, which means you can access real amusement parks and recognize that mighty fun ride you stood in line for twice last summer. Better yet, you can compare that ride to the ones you design. With the newly tuned ride creation system, you\'ll also have more control in designing a better coaster than Six Flags could dream up. And since individual elements will now be savable, you can take your better rides and build a better theme park. Fans of the genre will find plenty of new features to love in this release, and interested newcomers will discover its addictive power.But don\'t get in line just yet-RollerCoaster Tycoon II doesn\'t leave the gate until October of this year.