Hydrothermal for Mac

If you've ever played Sim City, then you may well like Hydrothermal which isn't exactly as sophisticated but is based on the same principle. The aim of Hydrothermal is to build a Space colony while protecting it from invaders. In the meantime, however, you also have to try and keep your citizens happy while balancing your municipal budget at the same time. If you want total power, this is the game for you because you control everything from taxes, funding, laws, the military, and more. You can build over 55 different types of constructions which means you can expand your colony little by little.

The strategy needed to make this an enjoyable game takes some getting used to, but when you're up and running, it's quite fun. There's a bouncy soundtrack and there are worse games to emulate than Sim City. However, you can't help but feel that you are playing what is basically a cheap rip-off of the former. The graphics and interface are generally poor, and it can be unresponsive at times. This demo is limited to 15 minutes too, which doesn't really give you time to get your teeth into it properly.

The Mac platform could do with more of these type games, but Hydrothermal, while a brave effort, leaves a little to be desired.