Part of the fun is zooming in close on visitors or even experiencing your own creations from a first-person view.

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Soaked adds buckets and buckets of aquatic-themed attractions to the core RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 game, where you manage a theme park. Since it’s an expansion pack, Soaked requires the original RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 game, which will set you back $49.99. Soaked gives you many more scenarios and options, including dolphin shows (who doesn’t love a good dolphin show?), water slides, more intricate laser shows, and even basic changes to the original game, such as the ability to build roller coasters with tunnels. Soaked doesn’t fundamentally change RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 - the game interface is as waterlogged as ever - but fans of the first game will easily appreciate the additions.

While expansion packs for other games sometimes only add new levels to a game, Soaked adds an entire theme. We liked building water slides that twist and tumble through parks, although the construction tools are unintuitive and slow to respond - instead of just drawing the path of a ride, users tediously click between sections of track, choosing from different angles and shapes. We also like Soaked’s sandbox mode, with unlimited funds and no pressure to make a profit or satisfy your virtual visitors. In this mode, simulation micromanagers can try eight new scenarios to build up a park from humble roots, controlling everything from employee wages to the pool cleaner of choice.

The bottom line. Simulation fans will overlook many interface misses and glitches that could have been cleaned up in RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Soaked, in exchange for creative new ways to build theme parks.

COMPANY: Aspyr

CONTACT: www.aspyr.com

PRICE: $19.95

REQUIREMENTS: 1GHz G4 or faster or Intel processor, Mac OS 10.4.8 or later, 256MB RAM, Radeon 9000 or GeForce FX5200 or Intel GMA 950 or faster video card, original RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 game

Lots of new items to build and buy. Water rides complement previous roller coasters. Some updates even affect previous game. Universal binary.

Still unresponsive at times. Weak interface. Ride design tools are needlessly complicated.