It is midnight on a day in August 1944. The Nazis are planning to smuggle French art treasures
out of the country. No, zee Fallen
Madonna wiz zee Beeg Boobies isn't
being hidden in a smoked sausage - instead priceless Picassos and
muddy Monets are on board a train.
You are a leader in the Resistance,
and must rescue them.
How droll.
Anyway, your first mission is to
capture the train, which is sitting in a
station. This is accomplished by
shooting Nazi snipers who obligingly turn the lights on before they
fire out of the station windows.
Once aboard the train you stoke
up the furnaces, release the brake
and open the throttle. The train will
start moving oft You have to drive it
from Metz, near the German border.
to Riyiere on the west coast of
France, where you will be met by the
Allied forces.
Of course, it's not an uninterrupted ride. You will be bombed and
strafed by Nazi fighter planes,
bridges must be captured and points
must be switched.
Your Resistance friends will
provide you with the information
you need to do this by broadcasting messages over the telegraph at stations under their control. These stations also provide repairs, coal and
water.
There are four graphical screens
plus a status screen, The most
important display is that of the
engine room, which allows you to
control the engine by blowing off
steam, shovelling more coal, and
slamming on the brakes whenever a
bridge approaches. If you are
moving too fast when you do this,
the gearbox will be stripped.
The Train is a tough game, with a
lot to do in very little time.
Fortunately the controls are pointer-based and very easy to learn. The
boarding sequence quickly becomes
tedious; it would be nice if it could
be skipped.