Good news for those who want to renew their pleasure in RRT or who want to try out this classic!
After a long drought, during which searching bargain bins was the only way to find the game, store shelves now carry RRT Deluxe as part of a compilation called "Conquer the World."
The classic version of the game still shows up occasionally in generic bargain-CD kind of package, but I haven't seen one of these now for months. Some copies are doubtless still in those bargain bins.
Here are reports of recent sightings and sources.
It's out there! People have reported purchasing "Conquer the World," which includes Railroad Tycoon, at local software outlets. Unfortunately the package includes no documentation (according to another report), which makes it a bit difficult for people to get started with the game.
(Thanks to Christopher "Psycho" Ceykovsky and fifo@aol for the info on October 13 and 17, respectively.)
Terry Reed reports (October 6, 1997) that he was able to order "Conquer the World" from Microprose's site, so it must be real.
Microprose's web site now (the date is September 23, 1997) features "Conquer the World." Get the scoop at http://www.microprose.com/corporatedesign/press/conquer.html.
According to PC Gamer (www.pcgamer.com), Microprose will release a compilation called "Conquer the World" which will include Transport Tycoon, Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon, Sid Meier's Colonization, and Pirates! Gold. The report claims that the cost will be under $30.00. A companion product called "Conquer the Universe" is already on store shelves. The PC Gamer report is dated July 23, 1997.
(Thanks to Mike Watson for sharing the news via e-mail on August 16, 1997.)
One surfer (no name in the e-mail message) points out that Ebay's auction (http://cayman.ebay2.com) may be a source. I checked today (October 17) and found a copy of RRT offered for $2.00.
September 5, 1997. Bob Stevens reports that he found copies of Railroad Tycoon at Kay Bee toys for the vast sum of 99 cents! Also, they had an assortment of other classic games at prices ranging from 99 cents to $19.99.
August 6, 1997. Scott Williams reports that he bought RRT today from
Player's Choice
180 Lakefront Drive
HuntValley Maryland
21030-2245
August 3, 1997. We just got a tip from Jaap Rodenburg that Chips & Bits has at least RRT Classic for the Macintosh. The Microprose support desk in Europe (apparently a bit more helpful than their home office counterparts) gave these four vendors as possibilities:
Chips & Bits 1-800-699-4263
Computer Express 1-800-228-7449
Gamer's Gold 1-800-377-8578
R&G Games 1-800-525-4263
A call to Chips & Bits Inc., P.O. Box 234, Rochester VT 05767, at 802-767-3033, got Railroad Tycoon Classic for the Mac delivered to Jaap within a week to Utrecht, the Netherlands for a total cost of $20, including shipping. The PC version may be available from them, too.
July 14, 1997. We've been told that RRT Deluxe has been re-released in Sweden as part of a CD collection of Microprose/Spectrum Holobyte classics. Web sites from that country might provide a lead. Swedish speakers might start with the Swedish University Network. An English version of this site is also available. Thanks to Magnus Pohl for this information.
I (Mike) personally caught a glimpse of a CD copy of RRT Deluxe for sale in a home appliance store in Glasgow, Scotland on June 26, 1997. Sadly, I was rushing past and did not have time to make a purchase, but the sighting shows that copies do exist on store shelves.
I (and others) have written to the publisher, who replied that the game is unavailable from them. I've also written to some other vendors and been told that the game doesn't show up on any of their supplier lists. The most helpful of these was Starvector, which has a pretty interesting on-line service, including copies of used software.
One thing we won't do is copy the game and send it to you ourselves, so please don't ask. It's the publisher's right--for whatever ill-considered reason--to keep the game off-market, and we wish to respect publishers' rights.
This page last updated October 17, 1997.