SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition review:4 stars (SimCity 4 Deluxe) - Hello. I first played SimCity around '95, and bought the most recent version, 4 (with the expansion), earlier this year. I very much enjoyed playing SC2.

The game has much better graphics (less of a DOS feel and more of an XP feel), although running the game requires a very substantial machine. My system is in good condition, it runs XP, I have 512MB RAM and Radeon 128MB graphics card and still my machine lags in terms of displaying the buildings as you move around the city or zoom in or out. The game also eats up huge amounts of your hard disk space.

There are many more things to build and interesting mayor rewards, for example: Disease Research Centre, Conference Centre, Opera House, Private Schools, Golf Course, Area 51, Toxic Waste Dump, Radio Station, etc. This is most enjoyable aspect of game in my opinion, the sheer variety of stuff to build which makes a neighbourhood attractive to certain types of Sims or businesses or industries, and attractive landscapes on which to build thanks to terrain/terraforming editor.

There are also huge interconnected maps which can assist each other in terms of business deals, so you can build a dirty city which takes the pollution out of your other cities, or a commuter city which supplies the workers for another city which is one huge industrial hub. This is also a very interesting feature.

Transport system more realistic and works more like you would expect in real life, although you must plan very carefully to leave enough room to turn roads into avenues then into ground-level highways, etc. - you can very easily box yourself in and have to resort to metro only which is expensive. You must lay out your city with a very keen eye on the future, plan ahead in terms of traffic congestion and associated pollution. Again in my opinion this is what makes the game interesting, you must think hard and plan ahead. This requires you play a couple of maps first and make a hash of things, to learn how to lay out properly in future :-) Of course in real life town planners cannot simply demolish whole neighbourhoods or start afresh with a new map. So to some extent this game gives you respect for real town planning and the problems and issues involved.

The ability to drive vehicles is laughable graphically, and gives you the opportunity to earn huge amounts of cash which unbalances the game - I would advise you to avoid this feature and play `properly' to earn your money, otherwise it feels like cheating. Maybe that's what you want though...

The ability to transplant your SIMS into the communities you create initially seems good idea, and for a few minutes is fun to hear them comment on life around them, and to watch them drive around and change jobs, but soon becomes apparent that they just spam your news window and give you very little meaningful information which you could not get from the regular news.

So, overall, the problem is the demands it places on your system, otherwise very interesting and enjoyable and worth buying if you like town planning simulations.
2 stars (NAhhh) - Well I was really excited when I bought this game cuz I always wanted to drive stuff and be the mayor and stuff but after a while it got really boaring so then i play it like a week or two and then it just got boring cuz u had to manage everything I do not like this game you should spend 30 bucks on this game spend it on the original one abd the expansion packs like the unleahed and vacation there really cool.If u buy u r just wating ur money.1 stars (Boring) - I was looking forward to playing this updated version of Sim City and was very disappointed, to say the least. My computer has all the necessary hardware and software to run the program and it is still very slow and frustrating to play. The graphics are not much better than prior versions and overall the gameplay takes forever! If you have nothing else to do with your day you maybe better served watching grass grow.
SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition Features:
Strategy (Strategic)
Simulations
World Building (Builders)
Computer Games
Action
CD
For 1 player
Create, build and run the most realistic city you can imagine
Connect your metropolis with other cities you've created to form a massive region of SimCities
Sculpt mountains, gouge valleys, and seed forests
Deploy police cruisers and fire trucks to the scene

SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition is the CD-ROM version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around  28.99USD.