Sid Meier stands out as one of the handful of world-renowned programmers for a couple of very good reasons - Civilization and Railroad Tycoon.

The latter game first appeared on the Amiga back in 1990, where it instantly found favour among thinking gamers. The idea of Railroad Tycoon was simple enough: you're a railroad entrepreneur given a barren European or American landscape on which to build railways. Track was laid, stations built and cargo and passengers shunted around, all in the name of making a profit.

As is common to all Great Videogames, underneath the simple concept was a wealth of depth that kept the player glued to the monitor. Each scenario offered a different challenge, whether it was tough terrain or awkward cargo loads and this, combined with the computer-controlled rival railroads, made playing each scenario a great, fresh challenge. The game was subsequently converted to the PC where it found equal favour, and a deluxe version of the original appeared a couple of years after the first title, offering a few more scenarios. Last year its proper follow up, Railroad Tycoon II, was released for the PC where it managed respectable sales figures.

Our memories are fondest for that original game though, and it was only after discovering the cheat for extra money that the game's mystery and beauty were lost. Sigh.