Sid Meier is among the few designers who get to sandwich their game titles between their own name and an exclamation mark.

It’s a rare honour indeed but, with a long and illustrious career that includes Sid Meier’s Pirates! and the Civilization series, few would disagree that Sid has something to shout about.

Sid Meier’s Railroads! is something of a return to the developer’s old Railroad Tycoon stomping ground. Though apparently not a direct sequel to Tycoon, Railroads doesn’t attempt to mess with its predecessor’s formula much either. In many ways, this latest rail sim is something of a back-to-basics move for Sid and co.

Like Tycoon, the main objective is to generate money by putting together and managing your own railway network and success is closely linked to your ability to exploit industry and economics. But, while previous games have tended to focus on the minutiae, Railroads is much more accessible, with a simplified user interface and easy-to-pick-up gampelay.

The game presents a number of historical and imaginary single-player scenarios to tackle. The historical side of things allows you to play as a ‘real’ rail tycoon and provides a selection of engines that are accurate for the period.

Naturally for an American game, there are is a heavy US bias, but there’s a surprising amount of Euro-content too, including several British scenarios and the ability to play as Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The simpler, friendlier approach is reflected in the game’s visuals. These have an almost cartoon-like quality, with colourful landscapes and models lending the game an appropriate train-set feel.

Existing fans of the series who are used to a bit more depth and slightly bigger maps may be a little disappointed, while the subject matter itself undoubtedly has only a niche appeal. Overall, however, Railroads! is a pretty fun game while the novelty lasts.