Tracks is a wooden train set simulator. The game harkens back to a time when your interest in trains was in its nascent stage, but your parents would not commit to buying you an electric set up, so you get a wooden one.

Taking this idea forward into a console Sim, the game faithfully recreates the trains and tracks as well as adding some bells and whistles of its own.

There are a few options to play with before you start. There are options to change the game's music and sound, but these are in such perfect synergy with the visuals I am not sure why you would want to. You can change the motion blur and choose a graphic resolution. The game runs effortlessly in 1080 at 60 fps. As of today, there are a further two environments to download, Suburban is free, but Sci-fi will cost you less than a fiver.

Visually the game is a real treat. The wooden track, train, and buildings are all well presented and there is something quite satisfying about driving your train around your recently created world.

As well as the tutorial, the game has two main game modes. There is an open world, sandbox, option. You can choose to play in either a completely blank, white or black space or choose from the well-realised Modern House, or the Bedroom, both of which can be played in a night-time mode, which adds lights to the rooms.

There is also a mission-based option, Passengers, where you are tasked with laying track to get your little wooden passenger from one place to another. These events are often timed, which adds a level of urgency. You do not have to restrict yourself to this as the game comes with numerous buildings and other ephemera which will allow you to create a whole fantasy world of your own.

The interface is intuitive and laying down track or placing objects could not be easier. As well as straight and bendy track the game supplies you with inclines to change your elevation and junctions for directional change. It's worth changing to the first-person view, of you on the train, to run around the track to see if it works or not. There is not much to do while you are on the train, you can start and stop as well as tooting your horn.

The tutorial will take you through how to build your track and how to lay down the decorations, like the buildings. What you end up with is down to your imagination and patience, it is possible to create a whole small city if that is your wish.

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Charles Packer