We're All Going To The Zoo Tomorrow.

I remember days as a child going along to the good old Perth Zoo, here in my home city in Western Australia. Way back then in the late 70's, back before these more enlightened times, we got to see the animals in incredibly cramped cages of steel and concrete.

Of course, back then, being just as un-enlightened as everyone else at the time, I thought it was just the most fantastic place on Earth. The Tigers! The Lions! Those cute little Otters running in and out of their green, concrete castle and swimming in it's coin-filled moat, the exciting "Nocturnal House", full of display after display of nearly identical marsupial mouse-like things. Good times.

Of course, with the years and the entrance of the enlightenment (the previous lack of which I spoke of above), great changes took place at my beloved Zoo over the last 25 years and today when I am not doing anything I occasionally still head on over there, armed with my trusty digital camera to marvel at just how far zoos have come and gasping in wonder at how little the wonderfully designed and all-together more happy seeming for the animals, resembles the bars and hard concrete of the past.

With my good predisposition towards Zoos already established, I am sure you will understand the delight I felt when my girlfriend presented me with Zoo Tycoon. I have played many other games bearing the word "Tycoon" in the title and the results have been as varied in success as the subject matter of the games them self. Happily, I can report that Zoo Tycoon is a winner in almost every important aspect.

The game comes on a single CD and installation is a breeze. The front end is attractive and features some suitably African sounding music and a number of fairly basic, but at the same time comprehensive options for your needs. A helpful tutorial is included to help the novice come to grips with all the commands, along with the option to play either a scenario style game, or for those of us who simply want to play and not be bothered with any annoying requirements and targets, an open-ended freeform game. Finally, I should mention the update option, which checks for patches and new themes or animals which can be downloaded and patched into your game, direct from the Internet.

Zoo Tycoon, not surprisingly, gives the player full control over the construction and running of a new Zoo. A decent variety of animals (especially after you download some of the updates) are available for purchase for your zoo and each of these is housed in a habitat which the player builds them self. I enjoyed naming each and every one of my animals.

Of course, it isn't as simple as that. If you just bung your Bengal Tiger in a small square cage, the animal will not be very happy and your guests will know this and since they are not still living in the 70's, will be fairly unhappy themselves, resulting in poor results for your zoo. Nothing delights a zoo visitor more than observing their favourite animal, bounding around happily in it's lovingly tailored environment. Fix your tiger's up with some rain-foresty terrain, some suitable rock formations, plenty of room to move and a nice cave or two and things will tick along nicely.

Different animals have different needs, so choose your terrain type carefully and keep an eye on the happiness of your furry friends. It is even possible to combine some animals in the same habitat, should they be compatible and unlikely to make a meal of each other. I had a huge "Africa" enclosure, full of all manner of beasts.

Of course, the animals in your Zoo who get to leave at the end of the day can also be catered for, which a wide variety of eating places, furniture, decorations and just about everything you need to build a public place, readily at your disposal. As with in other "Tycoon" games involving "guests" , keeping them fed, watered and.... toileted are all important issues which help to keep them in the park and therefore leaving more money before they leave.

No Zoo of today would be complete without a breeding program and provided you have a suitable mummy and daddy of a species, and provided the mood hits them (happiness level is important in providing that mood), you could soon end up with the next generation of animals being born, much to the delight of your guests. The different animals range from insanely difficult to breed, to ludicrously easy. At one stage I went out of the room to get something to eat and came back to find my four Sumatran Tigers had bred like rabbits, so that they now numbered close to 30!

Of course, along with the miracle of new life, all old ones eventually come to an end. Sometimes if you are lax, animals can die of illness, but the inevitability of old age is something not even the most hale of beast can escape forever. My only problem here is that it seems like some animals have incredibly short life-spans. My Giraffe's seemed to drop like flies! It would be great if the ease of breeding was toned down and the quickness of death similarly amended. This would provide a lot more realism, but it is only a minor gripe.

The other problems I have with Zoo Tycoon are also minor, but the review would not be complete without mentioning them. The first is something common to many games in this mould, with the now ancient Theme Park and the more recent Roller coaster Tycoon, both being prime examples. the problem is the hiring and management of staff. It is just so boring and annoying. I simply do not want to have to deal with it. Setting routes and responsibilities for each and every one. Bleh! Zoo Tycoon scores over the other games here at least, because your staff sort of go off and use their initiative here to some extent.

The other problem is to do with Trampled Terrain. This is land inside habitats which due to animal traffic has become "trampled" and it makes the animals unhappy, especially if there is a lot of it. This terrain can be very hard to spot in a very bush enclosure and the player has to physically go around replacing it all, one square at a time. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't as common an occurrence as it is. You can limit trampling somewhat, by placing rock or other solid floor on heavy traffic spots, but I still found myself wasting too much time with this un-fun pastime and a lot of time boggling as to why my well paid staff didn't automatically take care of it for me.

Graphically, Zoo tycoon is colourful and pleasing to the eye. You wont see any outstanding 3d graphics to test the very vistas of your Geforce card here, but you will see some delightful representations of animals and their Zoo home surroundings. Various human and animal noises are heard at appropriate places as you scroll around your Zoo, in a rather sparse, but ultimately suitable and unobtrusive manner.

My minor misgivings regarding the staff management and the manual terrain maintenance do not even come close to spoiling my enjoyment of this wonderful game, which is sure to delight gamers of all ages for a good, solid gaming session. This is one of those games that is easy to sit down with and relax while playing, free from stress, until you look at the clock and realise that five hours have passed and you should have been in bed for work hours ago!