I've discussed Carnivores 2 elsewhere here in some detail, and Carnivores: Ice Age is effectively Carnivores 3. Rather than waste time (and DooYoo's server space), I'll concentrate on the differences. The two games are very similar, so I'd really recommend you read the other write-up too.

To recap, Carnivores saw you hunting dinosaurs in exotic locations. C:IA sees you hunting Ice Age mammals in wintry, Ice Age locations. Briefly, here's a list of the fauna:

Pig - harmless, and everywhere
Archaeopteryx - an early bird, flies around a lot
Bronoteriy - a massive rhino-like creature
Wild Boar - an aggressive little tusker
Wolf - a sleek, graceful killer
Wooly Rhino - a large, shambling beast
Giant Deer - Bambi on steroids
Diatryma - a large, psychotic killer ostrich
Smilodon - the Sabre-Toothed tiger
Mammoth - slow-moving, ponderous and huge
Bear - Balou with attitude

There's a bonus creature available when you've built up enough points, but I won't spoil any surprises here. Let's just say it's very, very fast, and the trickiest of the bunch to hunt.

Unlike the dinosaurs, these creatures are all (with the exception of the first two, which are only there for target practice and ambience) dangerous, although the herbivores will only attack if you get too close. The AI of all the animals is improved, so they act more naturally. Seeing a running wolf or smilodon is a beautiful site, unless it's running towards you with dinner on its mind, in which case there's no time to stand and admire.

The scenes have less variety than those in Carnivores 2, but there's only a few types of snow. These wintry wildernesses are still awe-inspiringly beautiful though, and a walk in the woods (or a major expedition through forests, tundra, mountains, lakes, glaciers, ice-floes and so on) is a breathtaking experience.

This is a darker game t
han C2. Without wanting to pun, it's quite chilling. There's no light relief here - the environments are tough, and the animals ill-tempered. I still feel a shudder of fear whenever I go out into those snowy locations, and the concentration needed to hunt is greater due to the more unpredicatable behaviour of the mammals.

For all that, it's worth every penny, and makes for hours and hours of absorbing gameplay.