Bridge Builder 
(2000 Alex Austin)


One of the most original puzzle games ever designed, 
Bridge Builder is an intriguing blend of real-world 
physics, puzzle, and economics. Your job is simple: 
build a structurally sound bridge across the river, 
over which trains should be able to go safely. With 
limited funds, you will buy various parts, then assemble 
them into a working bridge. What make the game a lot 
of fun are the excellent physics engine, and the wide 
variety of parts that allows you to build many different 
types of bridges. The further along you get with your 
particular project, the wider the rivers get, and thus 
completion becomes more and more difficult. Because you 
only have limited funds for each level, you have to be 
frugal and can’t waste the different components. 

There are many ways to play Bridge Builder: you can choose 
just to build working bridges so you can pass all levels 
quickly (more or less). If that's not enough, you can try 
to optimize your bridges to be as cost-effective as possible. 
Of course, you can also forget sommon sense and build crazy 
and weird bridges, try to make them look particularly nice, 
or even cunstruct complex mechanisms..., just for the fun of 
it... The game sets no limits for your creativity!

After you get a hang of how the game works, Bridge Builder 
becomes a highly addictive game. So far, only the demo version 
has been released (it contains 15 levels), and all work on the 
original has stopped after the author got in some legal wrangles 
over the name of the game (which has already been trademarked 
by a company). The good news is that he has started a new company, 
Chronic Logic, and released Pontifex, the true sequel to this 
wonderful game (and with a legally correct name ;)) in October 
2001. In the mean time, more levels are available on the internet, 
and you can also make your own levels using a level editor. 
Overall, a very unique and entertaining game that deserves much 
more notice than it did. Two thumbs up, way up!