Theme Hospital

• Platform: IBM PC Compatible
• Release Date: 1997
• Genre: Simulation
• Style: Business Sim
• Similar Games: Theme Park (Macintosh), Theme Park (IBM PC Compatible), Theme Park (Sega Genesis), Theme Park (Sega Saturn), Theme Park (PlayStation), Theme Park (Atari Jaguar), Theme Park (3DO)

Game Description

The Health Ministry of Theme World needs an administrator to run their Hospitals. They have had some difficulty finding the right person for the job, because some of the ailments suffered by potential patients are rather odd. Diagnoses such as Bloaty Head, Transparency, King Complex and Hairyitis are common, and the well-staffed Hospital will have to employ Doctors with adequate skills to diagnose and cure these diseases, as well as have the specialized equipment needed to treat them on-site.

However, Doctors and equipment are not all that the successful administrator will have to consider. Receptionists need to be present to queue patients to the right rooms. Handymen must be employed to water the plants and clean up any Vomit Waves that break out, and to repair any Boilers that break down. Prices for diagnosis and treatment must be set competitively, and drugs must be researched to advance medical treatments. In addition, the administrator must plan the layout of the entire Hospital, purchasing and constructing new rooms as needed, and supplying them with the necessary machinery and creature comforts to attract new patients to the facility.

If successful, the administrator will go on to plan a new Hospital, with access to new facilities and machinery used to treat the over 30 strange diseases he will encounter throughout the game. If unsuccessful, the administrator can expect to be dismissed in poverty and disgrace.

Review: Overall

In early 1998, I was dying to play a new sim. Unfortunately, I owned just about every decent sim that was on the market at that time, and I couldn't wait until SimCity 3000 was released. I stumbled across Theme Hospital, and since Bullfrog's name was on the package, and because the images on the box looked rather entertaining, I decided to buy it. Big mistake.

The premise behind Theme Hospital is that the player is running a hospital which must stay within budgetary constraints, while having to heal the highest number of patients at the same time. In order for his hospital to heal patients, the player must build rooms that can perform certain diagnostic and curative functions. The hospital must be staffed by employees such as doctors, nurses, handymen, and receptionists. Certain creature comforts are also available for purchase, like drink machines, benches, fire extinguishers and radiators. By combining these elements, the player must construct as efficient a hospital as possible, curing various ailments and depositing fees in the hospital's coffers, while trying to not run out of funds.

This title is packed with cartoon-style graphics, a type of animation with which I am not particularly enamored. However, the graphics are very well done, so fans of this sort of animation may appreciate this aspect of the product much more than I did.

In general, all this may sound rather entertaining. However, I found that the entire premise wore thin quite quickly. I was mildly amused with the title's "bathroom humor" for a little while, but then, it got old. Part of the "treat" of this title is supposed to be watching how the cures take place. However, there are only so many times that one can be amused by seeing a Bloaty Head patient get deflated, or by seeing a Slack Tongue patient have his taste buds removed by a Slicer Machine.

One thing I was completely frustrated with was the seemingly constant attention that had to be paid to some very small things. For example, let's take radiators. If there are not enough radiators in the hospital, the patients are uncomfortable and fewer show up at its front door. If there are an adequate amount of radiators, patients get warm and they will frequent any well-placed drink machine, an activity which will help to line the hospital's pockets. However, due to the height of the walls, some radiators can actually be hidden from view, which causes a real problem if the player ever decides to redesign his hospital's floor plan. Mandatory attention to small things like this limited my enjoyment factor for this title.

There are better, more creative sims on the market other than Theme Hospital. For the fan of a good sim, this is not one that is worthy of long-term hard drive space.

Review: Enjoyment

After the first couple of hours, my enjoyment of this title decreased dramatically. Even though I enjoy adolescent humor at times, Theme Hospital is no Beavis and Butthead or South Park by any stretch of the imagination.

Review: Graphics

The graphics are nice, if you are a fan of the cartoon-style of artwork that is in this title. You'll be spending a lot of time looking at it, so make sure it suits your tastes before you buy.

Review: Sound

The sound is good, as there are different effects for doors opening and closing, drinks being dispensed, and so forth. There's quite a lot of audio variety, which is one aspect of this title that keeps it from scoring even nearer the bottom of the scale.

Review: Replay Value

Once a level is conquered, there is little reason to play it again.

Review: Documentation

The 50-plus page manual is adequate for this game. It will tell you just about everything you need to know.

Production Credits

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