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Really fun simulation game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: October 30, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is a fascinating simulation game. You get to build am entire ecosystem around making a zoo work. Since you're the zookeeper, imagine that you start with some land and a few dollars. You get to make all the decisions on how to build and supply a zoo:

- keep the animals fed, watered, and clean in an appropriate habitat,
- keep the guests pleased with food, bathrooms, and happy animals,
- make decisions on ticket prices (important for crowd control),
- make plans for animal acquisition and personnel hiring,
- manage the buildings and grounds,
- identify marketing, advertising, merchandising plans,
- and so on

The software gives you a number of different choices of basic habitat and even allows you to start with different amounts of funding so you get a chance to see what it's like to start a zoo on a shoestring budget and then when funds are no obstacle. It makes a huge difference and keeps the game really challenging.

I have two relatively small quibbles with the game. One is that the description says age 6 and up; I think that children under 12 aren't likely to make enough good decisions to keep the zoo alive unless they get significant coaching. The second is that you have to have a CD-ROM on your system so, if you want to play on an airplane, your laptop needs an extra drive.

Still, I think that this game is really fun to play. And, a word to the curious and adventurous: once you get your zoo going, you can see what happens when you fence in the entrance/exits so that the zoo visitors can't leave -- and then let the lions and tigers out of their cages. Or, get the Dinosaur extensions and let a T-Rex loose!

Fun game - but a little too detail oriented

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 18 / 21
Date: December 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

As the name indicates, this game is very similar to Roller Coaster Tycoon - if you like that game, you'll likely enjoy this one as well.

I have 1 big complaint about this game though - each of the individual exhibits must be excruciatingly detailed to the likes and dislikes of the animal(s) it contains. For Example: an animal may like Savannah Grass in it's exhibit, so you'd think "no problem, just cover the entire exhibit in Savannah Grass"; but it's not that simple. It may also like a little bit of dirt, and/or a little bit of sand, as well as some fresh water to drink - all of which have to be carefully balanced to what the animal likes (not too much of one, or too little of another). Then, you have to add the foliage - and there are TONS to choose from. They are broken down by type (i.e. Savannah, Rain Forest, Coniferious, Decidious, Desert, etc.), but each animal still has it's own preferences. All Savannah animals, for example, do not like all of the Savannah foliage - so you have to try each 1 to find out if they like it or not. AND, you not only have to have the right TYPE of foliage (and rocks! don't forget the rocks!), you have to have the right AMOUNT of foliage. Too little, or too much and the animals will not be happy.

All in all, I think this game requires WAY too much detail in the setup of the exhibits - so be prepared to spend a lot of time getting them just right (especially the first few times you play it, until you get used to what each animal likes).

I got tired of playing it after not too long because of the amount of time required to set up the exhibits, but I recently received the Marine Mania expansion pack as a gift and decided to give it another go. I found it much more enjoyable with the expansion pack because of the new types of animals and exhibits that were available - plus the fact that I was more familiar with the needs of the various animals so it was easier to set up the exhibits. I gave the expansion pack 4 stars because it has some features that make the game more fun (like the fact that you can add Dolphin shows, Orca shows, etc.), plus some tools to help make managing your park a little easier.

Fun, fun, fun...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 22
Date: November 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game brings a new challenge to the typical "Tycoon" games. Not only do you have to please your visitors, but you have to keep your animals happy. Each animal requires a specific habitat, and it's a challenge to keep your animals happy, while still maintaining an enjoyable visit for your Zoo guests. There are many different animals, and it's fun to add money to research to see what animals, and other stuff becomes available.

There is also a freeform version to the game, so you can have as much money as you'd like, and just go crazy building an amazing zoo.

If you enjoy "Sim" or "Tycoon" games, you will definitely get hooked on this one as well!

Enjoy!

Put yourself in the Zoo Keeper's boots...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: November 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

In Zoo Tycoon, you must run and maintain a zoo with the help of staff that you can hire. There are over 40 animals and you must put them in exhibits.

The game is very fun and addictive and gameplay is similar to Rollercoaster Tycoon.

You can also get new items to download from the main menu in the game.

Excellent game.

Loads O' Fun from A to Zoo :)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: March 31, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Remember how a excited you would be as a kid to go to the zoo?

Now imagine how exciting it would be to design a zoo! Now thank Microsoft and BlueFang for having created a game that allows you to do just that in a simple, yet highly entertaining manner.

What's great about this game?
* everything
* lots of animals to choose from (new animals can be downloaded from the internet)
* educational (you can learn about the animals as you build your zoo)
* challenging, fun scenarios to play (which don't resemble each other - and don't have to be played in order)
* the management (business) aspect is realistic, yet not overwhelming
* fun stalls and other items to add to your zoo (for augmenting your income)
* putting compatible animals together can increase the attractiveness of the exhibit (and add to your challenge as a zoo keeper)
* "moody" animals keep you busy with their moaning and groaning
* animal toys may help appease some of the aforementioned animals
* updates automatically by connecting to the internet (a nice touch)
* a flying santa appears at Christmas time (just for laughs!)

A middle-aged woman loves it!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: July 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Listen, I really don't care for most computer games. I don't like shoot-em-ups and blood and violence. Nor do I like games that depend on fast reaction times. When pressed to define what my perfect game would be, I always said "I just want to wander around and look at things and maybe create things. I don't want to destroy anything or mount invasions."

Zoo Tycoon is the perfect game! It pretty much offers something for everyone. (I mean, if you WANT to, you CAN let the lions out on your unsuspecting crowd to satisfy your blood lust...)

It is so easy to use that you don't have to read anything first. Nor do you have to research anything or spend massive amounts of time setting things up. You can just dive in and start playing right away. Helpful tutorials teach you everything you need to know, and simple scenarios get you started. Or, you can play the game in freeform mode, and just start designing your own zoo.

Because you choose your own level, the game play can either be easy or devilishly challenging, as you choose. (What DO giraffes want to make them happy, anyway?!)

In addition to the challenge of using preset scenarios that have deadlines and goals, you can also just noodle around. As you play, delightful surprises appear as time goes by.

I've already spent several nights unaware of time flying by, finding to my surprise that hours have disappeared--suddenly it's 5 AM. And I have to get up at 6 to go to work! Ack!

I think this is one of those games that will be satisfying for a long time, as the possible permutations of landscaping, attractions, and animals are infinite.

I'm pretty much addicted. I went to the San Diego Zoo this weekend, and found myself redesigning the zoo in my head!

I love it!

Simple but addictive!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: October 31, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I haven't had time to play this game on many occasions, but when I do play, I hunker down for hours. Everything is very simple and straightforward but it has a certain addictive cuteness about it, from watching the monkeys play to being able to click on a particular customer walking through the zoo to see what they're thinking (such as "I'm thirsty," or "I need to find a trash can.") I enjoy buying and breeding difficult animals, such as pandas, while hubby likes to see peoples' reactions when the lions get loose. A bit of fun for everyone!

A Fun Game to Play

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: October 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

There are going to be comparisons to Roller Coaster Tycoon here. Sure, this game looks and plays like RCT, but is that a bad thing? While RCT deals with a more thrilling subject, Zoo Tycoon is tailored for a slower, more relaxed gamer. Not that it is a slow-moving game. You'll be constantly tinkering and adding, all the while taking a minute to watch the wonderful animation of the animals and guests. This is a fun, colorful game. It can be a challenge, but if you play the Sandbox mode, you can build your dream zoo without worry. I heartily recommend this game to any gamer who ever went to the zoo and wondered if they could do it better.

Great Game, Almost Perfect!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: December 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Well, I own and love RollerCoaster Tycoon, and I just couldn't get enough of it the first month that I owned it. It was just SO MUCH FUN!... The game was so new, so cool, so free, that it sold like crazy! Well, since then, we've seen the birth of dozens of other games like that; including Mall Tycoon, Train Tycoon, Airport Tycoon, Monopoly Tycoon, etc...even a sequel to the classic Roller Coaster Tycoon (RollerCoaster Tycoon 2). Yet most of those were okay, but didn't capture half of the magic that the first did. But this one, I have to admit, came extremely close. How?

1. Gameplay: I loved the theme of the game. You start out with several thousand dollars. With that cash, you pick a piece of land you'd like to own. An island, a desert, an ice peak, etc... Once you've selected your park, you are sent there to create a zoo. No help, no anything. You are on your own. So you decide to buy an animal. What should you buy? You can buy just about anything, from elaphants, bears, hippos, cheetahs, ostriges, lions, seals, polar bears, buffalo, etc...it's incredibel! Now, you have to make these animals happy, or else they'll just sit in a corner and eventually die. The guests don't want to see that![.] So you have to build animals large areas to play in, and friends to play with: you have to add african savana for elaphants, trees for goriallas or monkeys, water for any animal to drink out of.

You must also build these "habitats" in a way that your guests can see the animals. Meaning no trees blocking the viewing area unless you built the path all the way around so they can see. You must let your guests get the best view possible, or else you will fail in your quest to become a "great" zoo.

2. Graphics: Incredible! A lot of people might think that you put an animal in, and it just sits there. WRONG! Its the complete oppostite! The animals run around, play with each other. The seals swim, the polar bears have growling fights. The animals lap water (you can keep track of your animals happiness and such like Roller Coaster Tycoon). And they all have waste that you have to clean up. For this, you hire trainers, who do everything the animals need. It's cool to watch an animal sick, lying on its back. The trainer goes in, lies by its side giving it medicine, then stands up and watches the animal get back up. This game's graphics were awsome! Not to mention the occasional humor. Can anyone say "High santa clause!" this X-mas (sometimes witches, or Santa, or planes fly over the zoo, with jingling bells or weird cries.) "HO HO HO, Merry Chistmas!"

3. Options: A lot. You can name all of your pets, watch as they have off-spring, and name them. Build paths, food establishments, water holes, etc.. You hire more employees when you have more animals. You must also think in this, or compromise to fit as many animals as possible in the place. Some animals get along, some don't. And if one gets loose because of a faulty fence...(never put a low, wooden fence around an animal like an elaphant, buffalo, lion, cheetah). If they break loose, your zoo will be in a mania. Its kind of fun to save and try this every once and awhile (very fun...mahaha!)

Overall, this game had most of what the original had. But now it's in a zoo! Not to mention once you get bored (if ever this happens), there are at least 2 or 3 expansion packs. Can you say Jurassic Zoo (Dinosaur expansion pack), or Waterpark Melee (Aqua Expansion Pack). I love Tycoon, and u should 2! Don't miss out on all the fun, this game is fun, great, and though a little strechted (Huge places for eating, that in my opinion look like farmhouses), this game is a blast! A must-own!

Thx!

Really fun and addicting game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 16
Date: December 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is about designing a zoo. It's a lot like Roller Coaster Tycoon or Mall Tycoon, only the graphics are better. This is reccomended to people who've played the other games just mentioned and enjoyed them--!

Like Roller Coaster Tycoon, you need to beat scenarios. You have to complete a zoo, with all the goals completed (it will list the goals before you start your game). Usually, you have to achieve an average animal happiness of whatever, an average park rating of whatever, and sometimes you have to have a certain number of exhibits, if you complete all that, you will get a new scenario. You have to achieve all this with 75,000 or less dollars (it goes down the more scenarios you complete and the harder they get).

In this game you're really trying to make both the animals and the guests content. To do this, design animals' exhibit well and make sure that their cage is well suited and that they are fed. Guests need places to sit and food to eat.

The good thing about this game also, is you can play a "Freeform Game", which is a scene, but you do not have to complete any goals or anything, and start and the amount of money you want is optional. (Up to $500,000 is most to start--but here's a cheat-- hold down the Shift button and the $ button BEFORE you make any exhibits and watch your money go SOARING up!!) It's really fun to play this way, but after awhile, it does get boring to not have a challenge.

This game crashes easily, almost always when you're playing a freeform game. About between 30-60 mins. is when mine usually crashes. Another reason why it crashes is if you're using a cheat on the game like trying to get a Yeti or Unicorn (I listed some cheats for you to try below, so get out your pen and pencil!). I suggest if you want to use a cheat for getting a nonexistent animal, make sure that the exhibit is NOT brand new.

If you're bored with the game and need something fun to do, or you're going to recieve this game real soon, I suggest trying/writing down one of these fun cheats:

*Unusual Cheats*
¤ Start freeform game, and hold down the Shift and $ button and watch your money go way up. The amount of money is unlimited, but eventually you'll get bored of holding down the two buttons. =P Don't do this with existing exhibits, otherwise the exhibit walls will crumble and break!
¤ Name a guest Steve Serafino and recieve all the endangered animals on your animals list
¤Place a lion, tiger and bear all in the same exhibit and recieve the Yellow Brick Road path

*Rare and Unusual Animals*
¤ To adopt a Unicorn, name an Exhibit "Xanadu" and check your animals list. You'll have a Unicorn!
¤ To adopt a Yeti, start out with an exhibit named "Exhibit 1" then rename it "Kathmandu" to adopt a Yeti. Make sure it isn't a new exhibit!
¤ To adopt a Triceratops, name an exhibit "Cretaceous Corral." Check your animals list and you'll be able to adopt this dinosoar
¤ Rename a Panda "Blackly" and it will turn into a red panda
¤Name a kangaroo Sheila and it will turn into Spyro's friend Sheila
¤Name a Yeti Bigfoot and you'll be able to adopt a Bigfoot
¤ Name a reindeer Rulpoln and it's nose will glow red. Name another reindeer Dancer and it will dance with a female reindeer

I suggest going to a cheat site for more cheats. =)

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