I'm a nubie at Gamespot (great site) but hardly a nubie (grey beard). I was looking to replace a lost game "Railroad Tycoon II" and found RT3 which was a nice upgrade. While searching through the various games the ratings all seemed to be very high. Are members afraid to rate programs honestly. There are many things that should be considered besides "does this game satisfy my blood lust?" Was it easy to use and learn or not? Was it challenging and engaging, or quickly boring?

By example: Sid Meiers Railroad, which I own, was a real disappointment after being used to RT2. The scenery was awful (unrealistic!) compared to RT2 & RT3. There is no map editor, The program is slow to load and a hog on the system. The economic choices of the stock market and cargo are much better in RT3. Yet gamers rate Sid's version very high. Hmmmmm? Based on what?

Ratings should be tool that help in searching for a game. If most the ratings are between 8 and 9.9, they aren't much value. We are the ultimate consumer (buyer) of these programs. Rate them honestly, considering factors beside dazzling graphics.

RedWalk