A fun game for all ages (Zoo Tycoon 2 (PC))

Member Name: koppaberg

Product:	Zoo Tycoon 2 (PC)
Date:	01/08/08 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good fun, educational with some good expansion packs

Disadvantages: Less challenging than the first zoo tycoon game

I enjoy sim games, and I enjoyed the first incarnation of Zoo Tycoon immensely, so I was eager to get stuck into Zoo Tycoon 2.

The premise is that you run your own zoo park; in many scenarios you start your own zoo from scratch, on others you must build on and improve existing zoos. There is a sandbox version that allows you to build a park unconstrained by such trifles as cost, though I find that I need the added challenge of targets to keep the game enjoyable. Most parks are won by creating a park with a certain number of of animals, species or happy visitors. Often you are constrained by lack of money and space, and you only win access to different species and attractions as your park rating increases. Your park rating is based by the number of animals and of different species, animal happiness, releases to the wild, etc. The game is educational as it teaches younger uses what habitats and food the animals eat, as well as a good deal about the need for conservation.

I found that this game was a lot less challenging than the first game in the franchise, but it has a bigger range of animals and is still fun. It is fully 3D now and you can enter first person mode to walk around the park you created, which is a really nice touch!

There are also a number of expansion packs available; African Adventure, Endangered Species, Marine Mania and Extinct Animals. I have all but the last one, and they are great, adding extra animals, park stylings and scenarios. You can now buy Zoo Tycoon 2 Gold (AKA the Zookeeper Edition), which also includes the Endangered Species and African Adventure add-on packs. This is currently only £18 from Amazon so if you think you might want the expansion packs this is a very cost-effective way to buy it.

Summary: This is a fun game for people who like animals or 'sim' type games