Constructing and riding your own coaster is fun, but some of the joy is killed by the game's problems as well.
The aim of the game is simple. You select the type of coaster you want to build and the environment you want to build it in, you construct the coaster and customize the colors any way you want, and then once you add the finishing touches to the coaster and environment, you can ride it. If something is a little off-whack, you are given the opportunity to edit your roller coaster to make it work better. The construction engine is simple, quick, and easy to use, but it sometimes tends to freeze up and become stuck for a few moments. In order to design numerous unique coasters, you need to have a creative, patient mind that is willing to spend time fixing errors and mistakes, otherwise you'll end up building the same coaster each time (and really crappy ones too). The construction engine offers you everything imaginable to build the perfect coaster like corkscrews, loops, slope and bank adjustment, chains, accelerators, decelerators, etc. Construction can get a little boring and tedious, but actually riding your coaster is a real thrill if you know how to do it right.
There are quite a few graphical issues that pop up in this game. The coaster always rides nice and smooth (unless you have sharp turns on the track), but the objects and creatures that you can set up around your coaster are very poor in structure, color, and detail. Objects and creatures in motion will pass right through your coaster as if it were holographic, and most of the movements are stiff and unnatural. Likewise, the support beams for a section of track can pass directly through another section of track that exists below. And when you ride a coaster with such a scenario, you'll pass right through the pole as if it wasn't even there. The wood on the wooden tracks is paper thin in reality and has graphical issues with color processing on some computers. To top it all off, some of the landscapes lack detail and don't have a proper appearance.
The soundtracks that play in the background have poor quality and don't suit a tycoon very well. Some of the fanfares that play right before your coaster takes off are pretty sweet, though. Sound effects from objects and creatures stationed around your coaster also have poor quality, and other sound effects i.e. the screaming of the passengers doesn't even fit into the game because there aren't any passengers.
Ultimate Ride Coaster Deluxe is a fun game, but the problems and lack of value pertaining to the graphics and sound really take away from the overall score significantly. If you're looking for a fun tycoon to play, go ahead and pick this game up. If you choose not to buy it, you really won't be missing out on anything. I personally would recommend playing better simulators like the Roller Coaster Tycoon series because this game's engine is somewhat broken and stale. However, you might just find yourself coming back to this game for more after it has been sitting on the shelf for a year or two.
Score: 5.2
Grade: C-
Preference: Substandard