When you buy American Truck Simulator, you are buying two things - an excellent base game, and the promise of significant expansions/DLC/improvements over the next years. The game as it is now is already excellent - the world, although maybe a little small compared to Euro Truck Simulator 2, seems far more detailed and far more alive than some of the parts in the base ETS2 map.
Of course, the game engine is pretty much the same and it will feel very familiar to ETS2 users. There are, however, plenty of things to enjoy in ATS - from challenging deliveries to long open roads, not to mention those great American trucks.
With California and Nevada in the game at the time of writing this review, the world can feel a little small. In my current 33 hours of gameplay I have visited all major towns and have explored over 75% of the map, something which would have taken far, far longer in Euro Truck Simulator 2. On the other hand, with a free Arizona update coming soon and the promise of significant map expansions through DLC, American Truck Simulator is only going to get bigger and better over time.
This is a great single player experience, that can also be enhanced through multiplayer play with the TruckersMP mod which is easy to install and free. If you are tired of driving around California and Nevada on your own, join up with some friends and join a convoy!
TL;DR
A great single player and multiplayer experience that promises to get even better as more content is added to the game by developers. Well worth it for people who enjoyed ETS2 - it is more than re-skin and it is also a great introduction to those who sneer at or have not had the pleasure of enjoying truck simulation.