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'Soaked!' adds splash to summer funBy Marc Saltzman  Build a crazy water-based coaster, the Roller Soaker, in Atari's "Soaked!" RELATEDYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSHot summers and water parks go hand in hand, and now you can design, maintain and trade virtual slippery slides and splashy rides from the comfort of your computer. "Soaked!" is the first expansion disc for Atari's "RollerCoaster Tycoon 3," the popular Windows simulation that lets you build and ride 50 roller coasters and other amusement park attractions from a first-person perspective. "RollerCoaster Tycoon 3" is required to play this add-on CD. But hey, you may already own it. The "RollerCoaster Tycoon" series has sold nearly 9 million units since its debut in 1995, making it the second-best-selling PC game ever (after "The Sims"). Attractions in "Soaked!" range from the tame (swimming pools, aquatic shows, wildlife aquariums and dazzling waterfalls) to more adventurous diversions such as giant water slides, enormous flumes, high diving boards and a crazy water-based coaster, the Roller Soaker. The expansion disc also includes 16 new coaster car designs and an enhanced MixMaster tool, which lets you treat guests at your virtual water park to fireworks demonstrations, laser light shows and new water shows, all of which can be synchronized with your own MP3 tunes. Installing the disc also fixes some technical and game-play bugs in last October's "RollerCoaster Tycoon 3." Game play in "Soaked!" is similar to previous "RollerCoaster" titles. You must keep your "peeps" (guests) happy by giving them many rides and attractions to explore, paving walkways between the rides and peppering them with entertainers, concession stands, washrooms and shops. You also must employ technicians to maintain rides and tweak ticket prices so you can turn a profit without gouging customers. You can add orca shows, performing dolphins and super-soaker cannons (to keep your peeps cool). When building a water park, you can select prefab attractions from a menu and place them wherever you like on the park grounds. Other attractions -- such as swimming pools or water coasters -- include design tools so you can build them section by section. You also can select how you want to landscape the grounds. Once you have your attraction the way you want it, you can test it before opening it to the public. If it's a hit, your peeps will line up to try it, with the youngest ones diving and jumping cannonball-style into a pool, for instance. Exploring an open-ended sandbox game such as "Soaked!" might seem overwhelming at first, but the game includes many tutorials for basic concepts as well as more sophisticated building skills. Two new park styles, Atlantis and Paradise Island, also help keep things fresh by providing different visuals. You can trade custom creations online via the Ride Exchange (http://www.atari.com/rollercoastertycoon/ "Soaked!" is a clever and timely expansion disc that builds upon the fun in "RollerCoaster Tycoon 3." Fans of last year's sequel will want to pick up this value-priced diversion, while newbies will find that buying "Tycoon 3" and "Soaked!" adds some splash to their summers. 
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