Trainz: The Complete Collection

I ran across a $5 copy of Trainz Ultimate Collection (which is an earlier version of Trainz than this one) in a bargain bin and tried it out. Enjoyed it so much I decided to upgrade to this version. Like many Boomers, I had model trains as a kid... and this program was like a dream come true for me. The graphics aren't photorealistic, even though it needs a pretty powerful computer to run on, but I'm happy to drive pretend trains through pretend landscapes for hours. There are some glitches - in particular, the "content manager" is delicate and requires a lot of patience - but there are tens of thousands of user-created objects, scenery, layouts and the like available as free downloads to add to your installation. I have since upgraded again, this time to Trainz Simulator 2009 World Builder with its improved graphics and better content manager, and will review that soon. Meanwhile, I have this urge to buy a better graphics card...

This train game is great, especially if you like making layouts. Major problem is that it refuses to work at all with Vista, I cannot install it even. It has some loader screen that come up and you choose which software to install, unfortunately, it is unrecognized by Vista after that point, and causes a fatal error and the loader crashes. I'll wait for one that works with Vista. Great train game overall, I play it on another one of my PCs that has XP.

Don't use it very often.

I have been UNABLE to use this product. It came to me in a "sealed" package with no activation code or instructions. I am extremely disappointed.

The options are amazing. Graphics are very good, but limited mostly by your computers hardware. Some could use some help, but I was really impressed overall. The real fun starts when you start editing the different scenarios provided to create your own. Lots of editing options.

I recently purchased Trainz complete after buying the original version used at a retail outlet nearby & I must say I've enjoyed it,there have been a few drawbacks/problems with it...namly importing custom objects & locos via fansites or the DLS on the official site.For instance I tried to download an Amtrak loco from DLS & even a fansite but using content manager plus(CMP) I can't find this item anywhere in the game.Paintshed is also giving me some problems but other than that the game has been enjoyable. When I recieved my copy I was at first disheartened to look at the requirements for a pixel shader graphics card,which my system doesn't have but I took a chance & installed the game & to my suprise it runs,sure there's a little bit of lag on some routes but at least it is playable....now if I can just finsih the Cutbank wheat campaign without derailing the train.

This game is a great train simulator and it's a blast to play. It's loaded with content to build your railroad, and running the trains is great fun. It's like having your own unlimited full-scale train display, or as many as you want; but in addition to watching from the outside, you can climb in and drive the engines. The only down side is when you start to create your own railroads, you will find that much of the content is given German names. Not all, but about half of the buildings and such are identified in German rather than in English (even if you restrict your searches to content to build in the United States). Therefore, instead of simply going through the content types and clicking what you want, you have to click every single German-named item just to bring up the picture and see what it is. It literally adds hours to your build times. In addition, the content is not well organized. For example, you can find buildings under "buildings" and "scenery"; you can find vehicles under "vehicles", "buildings" and "scenery"; and you can find people under "people", "buildings" and "scenery". This makes it had to find content, and harder to find something you liked and must find again (I still can't find that bus). Still, a great game overall for people, such as myself, who would rather stop and watch a train go by than hurry through a crossing.

but very difficult to install