Theme Hospital
Details
Release date: 1997
Format: PC, PS, PSP
Developer: Bullfrog
Genre: Management Simulation
Review score: 86%
Date added: July 2011
Format: PC, PS, PSP
Developer: Bullfrog
Genre: Management Simulation
Review score: 86%
Date added: July 2011
Review
Theme Hospital is perhaps one of the classic great games of the past. From my experience many people who otherwise have no interest in management sims or even videos games have great memories of this game and even still play it! At the time it came out the game was something different, although it did follow the theme series, preceded by theme park. Arguably many would say Theme Hospital was the best of Bullfrogs achievements although your hard pressed to find one of their games which can be considered anything less than great. While the management sim itself was not a new genre the hospital setting and use of comedy were to some extent original features which would later be replicated in both Bullfrog games and products from other developers. The game rarely gets boring and even 14 years after its release i am still happy to spend hours playing it. The visuals of the game were good at its time of release, although not the best even then. They have aged fairly well however, you can still play the game today and enjoy it as easily as you could 14 years ago, although there are times when you wish you could just zoom the camera out a bit to get a wider view!
Originally the game was released on the pc and this is by far the best version, management sims don't often translate well to consoles. Given its popularity however the game was ported to the PS1 in 1998 which has also resulted in it being released on the Playstation network for PSP and PS3 as of 2007. Given my continuing devotion to this game I have played it on all formats, it is quite playable on PS1 and PSP but the controls take a long time to get used to, they're quite awkward. The Playstation version differs slightly from the original in that you can recieve bonus patients who pay more and the game lacks the background music.
Ratings
Originality Re-play Value Compatibility Visual Quality Sound Quality
8/10 10/10 9/10 8/10 8/10
Total Score
86%
Originally the game was released on the pc and this is by far the best version, management sims don't often translate well to consoles. Given its popularity however the game was ported to the PS1 in 1998 which has also resulted in it being released on the Playstation network for PSP and PS3 as of 2007. Given my continuing devotion to this game I have played it on all formats, it is quite playable on PS1 and PSP but the controls take a long time to get used to, they're quite awkward. The Playstation version differs slightly from the original in that you can recieve bonus patients who pay more and the game lacks the background music.
Ratings
Originality Re-play Value Compatibility Visual Quality Sound Quality
8/10 10/10 9/10 8/10 8/10
Total Score
86%
Where to get it
Amazon ebay
Installation Instructions
Install the game from the cd as normal. To run the game in Windows Vista you must right click the launch file then go to properties then compatability mode, then simply enable run in 256 colors. Some people report it necessary to also turn on compatability for windows 98 in this box, however this only slows the game down for me. If one option doesnt work for you, try the other.
Required files
None
Optional Files
Patch 1.1 - This file patches the game to version 1.1. It includes some minor updates related to balancing the speed of the game on more modern machines and also alows you to choose a difficulty level at the start but most significantly it unlocks the multiplayer element of the game.
To install first run the file in any directory except your theme hospital directory. This will create 2 new files titled HOSppat and dos4gw, copy both of these to your theme hospital directory which is usually C:/program files/bullfrog/hospital/. Once in the directory right click both files and click run in compatability mode for windows 95 and check the box that says run as administrator. Then run the hosppat file, if it hasnt worked you will hear a ping noise and the program will quickly close. You can tell if it has installed by running the game and moving your mouse to the middle of the skull menu to see if multiplayer is selectable. If installing the patch is not possible it may be necessary to uninstall your game via the windows control centre and re-install it from the cd, then run the patch file again, for some reason this seems to fix problems of the patch not working.
Pregnancy illness - This file adds the additional pregnancy illness to levels with the surgery table it will not work with the patch above however, so you must choose between the extra illness or additional features of the patch. To install the illness open the zip file and extract all the files except the readme to c:/program files/bullfrog/hospital/levels.
Required files
None
Optional Files
Patch 1.1 - This file patches the game to version 1.1. It includes some minor updates related to balancing the speed of the game on more modern machines and also alows you to choose a difficulty level at the start but most significantly it unlocks the multiplayer element of the game.
To install first run the file in any directory except your theme hospital directory. This will create 2 new files titled HOSppat and dos4gw, copy both of these to your theme hospital directory which is usually C:/program files/bullfrog/hospital/. Once in the directory right click both files and click run in compatability mode for windows 95 and check the box that says run as administrator. Then run the hosppat file, if it hasnt worked you will hear a ping noise and the program will quickly close. You can tell if it has installed by running the game and moving your mouse to the middle of the skull menu to see if multiplayer is selectable. If installing the patch is not possible it may be necessary to uninstall your game via the windows control centre and re-install it from the cd, then run the patch file again, for some reason this seems to fix problems of the patch not working.
Pregnancy illness - This file adds the additional pregnancy illness to levels with the surgery table it will not work with the patch above however, so you must choose between the extra illness or additional features of the patch. To install the illness open the zip file and extract all the files except the readme to c:/program files/bullfrog/hospital/levels.
Links to other sources
Theme Hospital clinic - An original theme hospital fan site thats still online contains more information about the game and gameplay guides.