Get me a nurse, stat!
There were quite a number of Emergency Room games before the series ended with Emergency Room 3, including Code Red, Life or Death and this one. They're all hospital based surgery sims and for a neat alternative to Sim Hospital, they make for an entertaining time. The idea here is that you're a novice doctor in a busy hospital, so it's your job to take a look at various patients, diagnose their problems and then treat them in the most appropriate and efficient way. There's a huge variety of potential problems, from patients with gunshot wounds to dog bites and everything in between. The gameplay is mixed in with live action sequences where you'll get briefings from nurses and other doctors, and interviews with the patients themselves. You'll need to read the manual a bit as you play, as the actual treatment sections essentially boil down to studying up on the problem at hand and then taking a multiple choice quiz to make sure you get it right. There are thirty five different cases to treat here which should keep you going for a while, but the game does lack much in the way of replay value as once you've completed them, there's no reason or incentive to go back again, as the solutions never vary. However, the cases should keep you entertained for a while, thanks to the mix of slick presentation and general feel of the game, which is strangely entertaining and compelling. The visuals are nice too, with the live action sections being well directed and edited and which help give the game some appeal. All in all, a fun experience but not one to play forever.
