Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Ages: eight & up
Parental
Advisory:
Strategic battle
Microsoft Game Studios' Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection combines the excellent Zoo Tycoon strategy game (click here to read the Daytrum review) with the Dinosaur Digs and Marine Mania expansion packs, and comes with an all-new Endangered Species Theme Pack.
In the Zoo Tycoon strategy game, players begin with an empty lot and go about building a zoo. Their success depends on several factors: providing good animal care, supplying appropriate habitats for the animals, creating entertaining attractions, obtaining exotic animals, and building and offering good zoo amenities that include gift shops, bathrooms, and food stands. Success not only depends on attracting customers, but keeping the animals happy.
With the Complete Collection, would-be zookeepers have more than 100 animals and more than 500 building objects at their disposal to create a thriving and healthy zoo. They can set up their own aquatic show, launch an expedition to recover escaped dinosaurs or build a habitat for an endangered species. With access to many specialized staff such as zookeepers, scientists, and marine specialists, Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection lets virtual zookeepers mix and match animals and themes to create and manage an impressive and varied zoo.
The new Endangered Species Theme Pack features 12 animals on the endangered and/or threatened species list, such as orangutans, whale sharks and Komodo dragons. As zookeepers, players get to tend to these rare animals using more than 40 new objects based on four new themes, and can challenge their skills with three new scenarios.
A portion of the bonus content is now available to current Zoo Tycoon players who download the Mexican Theme Pack. This pack features the Mexican wolf, and gives players a glimpse of the smallest and rarest of gray wolves which were nearly hunted to extinction. According to Microsoft, the Endangered Species Theme Pack, nearly half the content of a complete expansion pack, will be available via download later this fall.
8/12/03 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
