Available in the US for well over a week, and just about to arrive in Europe tomorrow, Sid Meier's Railroads! marks the return of gaming's very first tycoon strategy title. And to mark the occasion even better, 2K Games released a playable demo version for Railroads!, allowing eager fans access to several terrains, trains, barons, objectives, and events from the much more copious full version. The demo contains just one tutorial and a small-sized map ("situated around the town of Towson and suitable for 2-player play" they say), but at least it's rather small, weighing only 265 MB.

While waiting for the demo to download, you can take a look at the final Sid Meier's Railroads! trailer, or browse through our local collection of screenshots.

"Sid Meier's Railroads! marks the return of the watershed title in simulation / strategy gaming that launched the popular "tycoon" genre, and inspired a new generation of games. Sid Meier's Railroads! comes home to its original creator, the legendary Sid Meier, who, together with his team at Firaxis Games, will take this game to a whole new level of fun!

The greatest railroad building game of all time is back in a vibrant 3D world delivering exciting multiplayer options, in-game customization tools, streamlined interface and unmatched gameplay, that's easy to learn yet challenging to master. Combining the best of real-world and model railroads, Sid Meier's Railroads! puts you in charge of building the greatest rail empire in the nation - managing trains, cargo and your bottom line - while engaging in all-out corporate warfare against rival tycoons, slick entrepreneurs, and robber barons!"

If this turns out to be just as fun as Sid Meier's Pirates! remake (minus the gay dancing parts), we're in for another great Firaxis game.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)