  Standard Regge Calculus provides an interesting method to explore quantum
gravity in a non-perturbative fashion but turns out to be a CPU-time demanding
enterprise. One therefore seeks for suitable approximations which retain most
of its universal features. The $Z_2$-Regge model could be such a desired
simplification. Here the quadratic edge lengths $q$ of the simplicial complexes
are restricted to only two possible values $q=1+\epsilon\sigma$, with
$\sigma=\pm 1$, in close analogy to the ancestor of all lattice theories, the
Ising model. To test whether this simpler model still contains the essential
qualities of the standard Regge Calculus, we study both models in two
dimensions and determine several observables on the same lattice size. In order
to compare expectation values, e.g. of the average curvature or the Liouville
field susceptibility, we employ in both models the same functional integration
measure. The phase structure is under current investigation using mean field
theory and numerical simulation.
