 | | Using explosives to bring down a chimney. |  |  | | Some equipment lined up ready to start; a wheeled loader, small hammer and the small drop ball. |  | | A skid steer fitted with a hammer makes quick work of a small building. |
| Demolition Company is a significantly enhanced and improved version of the previous Demolition Simulator. Installation is straightforward, but on the PC with Vista used for the review the setup process took fully five minutes before it appeared to run. During that time seemingly nothing was happening so you just have to be patient. The software comes with a 12 page instruction book.
The simulator has a career mode which allows you to execute a series of missions and as you do so you earn money and Experience Points which allows you to invest in bigger and better machines and unlock and take on new challenges. Each machine has its own tutorial where you can learn how to use it before going to work. You can visit a DestructoMart showroom to buy new machines.
The graphics and usability of this simulator is much better than previous versions. You can walk around in first person mode, and to start off with, you even have to learn to wield a sledgehammer successfully. When you get to a machine you can climb inside and start it. A variety of camera angles are possible, and each machine can be driven viewed from inside the cab. The control of the machines is good too, with the mouse being used to operate most functions in an easy way.
The range of machines is interesting and some of them loosely resemble Liebherr equipment. It is also possible for new machines to be downloaded from the accompanying website.
Various types of explosives are available and it is great fun to place the charges and watch what happens when you let them off. The simulation of falling structures is much improved over the previous version, and it only needs a little more work on dust clouds, sound effects and collateral damage to make it really good.
The career mode works well with various missions unlocked as you make progress. It is possible to set three levels of difficulty before you start a career which is a nice touch. The missions are also well designed, being generally no more than 10 minutes long which feels right in a gaming sense, and there is a challenge as too much collateral damage results in the failure of a mission.
Demolition Company is a very good simulator and the graphics feel smooth and look impressive, so it is nice to use. Although the physics modelled is not entirely accurate in terms of how things fall or their apparent weight, it is good enough to be fun and so the game is highly recommended.
To see a video of the simulator click here.
|
|  | | The smaller demolition excavator starts work on a car park. |  | | View from the cab of the small drop ball. |  | | The big demolition excavator waits for you to climb aboard. |
|
