Zoo Tycoon 2 - DS
Ages: Everyone

Have you noticed how similar the "Tycoon" series is to all those time management games where the bottom line is profit? Well - that's why I play these games in sandbox mode (Freeform). Take dollars to the limit - half a million. Your choices are Savannah, City Zoo or Desert. Whichever, there is still plenty of work to do. You have to keep the animals happy, keep the staff happy (pay them big bucks) and keep the visitors happy. I haven't tried free admission yet, but when I was a kid - zoos and museums were free. With sandbox mode, you don't have to go through a tutorial. It's not a bad idea though, even for those of us who have already played the game on the PS2.

There are lots of nice little touches you will find if you go mousing around. Awards for having 20 animals with a happiness level of 80%. Doing a sound test you can listen to a unicorn, a yetis, a triceratops - more mundane animals are also available. Music is a pleasing mix of drum and flute. Start returns to main menu and the save option.

Contrary to a bunch of other games I've reviewed - this one makes good use of the touch screen. Somehow they have managed to make animals wandering about on the touch screen identifiable, they even have shadows. And you can tell the people from the animals. Placement of objects and orienting them is intuitive. They have done an excellent job of giving you the tools you need. Making it work is up to you.

Fun Factor: Will keep your interest for a long time
Player Friendly: Sometimes hard to know why an action is prohibited.

Reviewed by: Editor - 06/08