All the fun of surgery
As the name suggests, the Emergency Room series is a hospital simulator where players are thrown into the chaos and confusion of the operating theatre and must deal with all sorts of patients with numerous life-threatening concerns. This is one of the later games in the franchise and while the format may not have changed significantly over previous instalments, it remains an enjoyable spin on the likes of Theme Hospital. This one places players in the shoes of a doctor working at a hospital which has a poor reputation in the city, after having let a woman die after waiting for twelve hours in the emergency room. The public won't stand for this sort of thing, so it's up to you to bring things back up to standard by successfully treating everyone who gets sent your way. The series has always provided a nice variety of cases to deal with, and this instalment is no exception, with everything from gunshot wounds to stabbings and everything in between being thrown at you on a constant basis. If the operations weren't enough to worry about, you also have to deal with the Chief of Staff who regularly reviews your performance and if you let too many patients die on the operating table, you'll be looking for a new job. Code Red doesn't offer much that's new to this relatively uncrowded genre but it does everything with a reasonable degree of flair. The cases are varied and interesting and certainly keep you on your toes, being authentic and not for the faint of heart, while the interface is intuitive and easy to use. Visuals are suitably detailed and occasionally graphic so if you fancy a peek into the chaotic world of surgery but without getting your hands dirty, this makes for an entertaining ride.
