GAME
Irish Enterprise North
Add-on for Microsoft Train Simulator

Format: PC
First Class Simulations
£24.99

5 060020 472121
Age Restrictions: Not Rated
Available
26 May 2006


From the same company that developed 2004's successful
Train Simulator add-on route London & South East, Irish Enterprise North is the first in a two part series that, when combined, will see you travelling from Belfast to Dublin. This add-on features the upgrades made to the route during 1998-99 which included the introduction of 90mph operation, welded rails, colour light signalling and central train control. The Belfast to Dublin route is served by a variety of diesel and multiple unit type trains ranging from the converted BR type Mk2 stock to the current Enterprise stock. Locomotives featured are from the US built by General Motors...

Irish Enterprise North was originally conceived as a Belfast to Dublin project, but is now being released as as two separate volumes. This first volume allows you to travel the 55-mile journey from Belfast to Dundalk. The second part, Irish Enterprise South, will cover the stretch from Dundalk to Dublin will be released later this year (2006).

Before we go any further I want to point out that I've never really understood the appeal of Microsoft's Train Simulator. In a moment of madness I went out and bought a copy of the original Train Simulator - actually, I say "a moment of madness" but I was buying it for the office so that we could review the add-on games that we receive for review.

We loaded it up and started playing it and within 20 minutes had totally lost interest. Personally, I find the excitement of making a train speed up, slow down and hoot its whistle a little to dull to keep me sat at my computer for hours at a time - Flight Simulator, on the other hand is a different matter altogether.

To be honest Irish Enterprise North does add quite a lot to the original game and if you love Train Simulator then you'll probably love this too. Whether the trains look, sound and drive like the real think is uncertain - only a driver on that line would know, and I doubt they'll be rushing out to buy it.

There are people (probably the same ones that sit on Totnes station, near our office, writing down engine numbers) who will find this a big thrill. I suppose it is the closest you'll ever get to driving a train, but then to be honest when you realise there's not much skill involved, and that you'll spend hours just watching the scenery go by, you'll soon realise that driving a train is not all that exciting after all. I can't wait for Microsoft's next game in a similar vein. What will it be? Factory Worker? Bin Man? Office Temp?

Personally it didn't do a lot for me, but for fans of the franchise there is a lot of fun (?) to be had here with new trains and scenery. It's a bit expensive when you consider that the combined price of both parts of this add-on will be £50 - and I'm sure you can travel from Belfast to Dublin for not much more than that in real life. A bit expensive really when you consider that.

Darren Rea

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£19.99 (Amazon.co.uk)

   
£21.97 (Gameseek.co.uk)

All prices correct at time of going to press.