Trainyard

Trainyard – Puzzling fun hits the tracks, but does it get to the right destination?

Calling all trainspotting fans, and no, not the film. If you have a bit of a thing for trains and grew up playing with various Hornby engines when growing up, you will probably find yourself right at home with this particular game. Trainyard is a pretty exceptional and unique title that will push your logic and puzzle solving skills quite neatly to the edge.

The game’s premise is pretty simple, you have a start and a finish and you must build the tracks from one to the other. As the game progresses you will have to work out the best route to get the trains safely and successfully to the end. To do this you will need to take into account the timing, order and sequence of switching between lines. When you’re happy simply press the go button and watch your train or trains go on their way. If you do it right then your train(s) will arrive safely at their destination, if you make a mistake then you’ll either see your train crash, go to the wrong station or endlessly spin around in circles. The cynic in me says that this is arguably just how the London Underground and rail system in the UK in general actually practices its route mastering – or at least this explains the strikes (no doubt as they’re stumped on a devious level). Anyway, back to the game...

Some levels will need you to work around obstacles, others will require you bumping the trains into one another to get the desired colour i.e. red train and blue train makes a purple train, which must end up at the purple gate.

In terms of simplicity, this game certainly is a novel and intriguing title which will entertain many commuters and fascinate many more in the comfort of their own home. The levels increase in their difficulty and before long you will no doubt become pretty glued to the screen and feverishly working out just how to position the tracks to get the desired results and move onto the next screen. Overall it’s a great little find and one that any puzzler will be pleased to while away their time on.

Positives

Addictive

Simple but cunning

Logic, puzzling and strategy skills are all tested

Speed up or slow down the trains

Negatives

Could be a bit awkward if you’re colour blind

The hint option could be a welcome feature if added for some levels

No train sound effects

4 stars