After several hours of sometimes forced gameplay, I've come to the conclusion that its underlying flaws far outweigh its few upsides. Put simply, this is a good looking if 'bare bones' tycoon-style train experience, which is severely let down by clunky controls, poor and unintuative building mechanics and a steep learning curve which - rather than being ultimately rewarding - is a disincentive to new players. This is evident straight out of the box, as the simple act of laying the first few stretches of track between two points quickly becomes a frustrating exercise. First, stations are so unweilding and cumbersome to place within existing towns that you often find your limited starting budget has been almost wiped out once the necessary buildings have been demolished to make way. Second, the potential for track pieces to colide with the world environment means often placing, replacing and replacing your lines. This wouldn't be so much of a problem if an 'undo' button were included, but it isn't. This can be a costly process, as you will be charged for each placement, demolition and replacement. Furthermore, each deleted line leaves behind the automatic modifications to the terrain, resulting in ugly, empty embankments which are near impossible to cleanly remove with the limited terrain tools. Third, wherever there is a natural intersection between track and road - and especially where elevation is involved - the game will flat out refuse to automatically place tunnels or bridges unless elements are placed at ludicrous heights or depths. This can result in comically tall bridges, or extreme elevation in city streets which sees pedestrians tackling 1/3 gradients as they meander about. Further frustrations include poorly labelled elevation changes, clunky bridge placement (particularly when attempted to place two lines side-by-side) and a lack of variety in engines, buildings and rolling stock. Sadly, Train Fever is best avoided - even for rail enthusiasts.
