Frontier handling RollerCoaster Tycoon 3

Atari has announced that RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 will form a key component of its Christmas 2004 PC schedule, and by the looks of it we're in for less of a cynical rehash this time in light of the fairly disappointing RCT2.

You want evidence? Well, for a start, series creator and developer Chris Sawyer is no longer a one-man band - this time he's working in conjunction with David Braben's revered development house Frontier - and what's more the game has finally made the transition to 3D, and seems keen to more than justify the move with the promise not only of complete camera control to replace fixed perspectives, but the most intoxicatingly desirable feature of all: the Coaster Cam, which lets you ride along on the nose of your own roller coaster.

RCT3 also promises a more diverse range of guests, who should exhibit group behaviour (and improved AI - shock), and by the looks of the screenshots Frontier hasn't spared any detail in realising the polygonal pleasure-seekers. Although we'd imagine the screenshots we've seen are a little bit touched up, or at the very least running on optimistic base hardware, they nonetheless point to a staggering degree of detail, with masses of punters wandering the park, and the Coaster Cam shots have left us soaked in drool.

After the relative non-event of RCT2, we'll be watching this one with renewed interest.