Being fairly new to PC gaming - but an old acquaintance of farm machinery - Excalibur's Farming Simulator 2011 seemed like a good place to start. Offering something infinitely more exciting than most PC games - the opportunity to drive a tractor - new additions to the gameplay for 2011 include online multi-player mode and cows.
For those unfamiliar with previous versions of Farming Simulator, it is recommended that the 'missions' (tutorials) are the first port of call. These include a tractor-driving test and a tractor-driving test with a trailer attached. I would suggest the use of a gamepad; the controls are very sensitive, and while this is desirable, it also makes the keyboard controls feel rather awkward.
Whether you have completed, failed or ignored the tutorials, you can explore 'career mode' as much as you like. Landing in the middle of a seemingly deserted farm, you can wander about (or take the tractor) and admire the scenery to your heart's content, while the extensive landscape is brought to life with beautifully rendered, detailed graphics.
Information points are situated at every piece of equipment, which although useful, do not give all the answers. The tutorials included in 2011 cover only a tiny fraction of the machinery and processes involved, and once in career mode there is little indication of how to actually begin; doors remain closed, fields stand empty and aside form the occasional passing car, the farm seems to have no signs of life. An inexperienced gamer may find themselves a little lost.
Farming Simulator 2011 includes the option to breed livestock, but before you can feed, breed and milk your (very nicely modelled) cows, you have to actually buy some. This requires money, which can be acquired by selling the grain provided and any future grain you grow yourself. As a successful livestock farmer you can then sell milk to the local dairy and use the manure to improve your crops. Increased profit means better machines, and even more profit, until your modest little smallholding becomes an agricultural empire employing a staff of AI farmhands to plough your virtual fields and feed your virtual cows.
If you are new to Farming Simulator, we would strongly recommend taking a look at Farming Simulator 2009 first. The tutorials and experience from this predecessor to Farming Simulator 2011 would leave you far better equipped for the rigors of virtual farming in 2011.
Verdict: 8/10 Perhaps aimed at experienced fans of the previous games. But if you want to drive a tractor and tend cows without leaving your house, this game may be for you.
For more information visit www.excalibur-publishing.co.uk
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