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Microsoft Zoo Tycoon is a new sim in the mode of Rollercoaster Tycoon. The idea is simple... build a zoo with a set of expectations and manage it during the time allotted. While not yet available for purchase I had the opportunity to put it through its paces. And the game is still providing me and my family with lots of fun. Those who have read other reviews I have written know that we have at least three testers in our household ranging in age from me (55) to my grandson (10). We all play the games... discuss their merits and weaknesses and then I get the job of actually putting our ideas into words.

I did not get any inside literature about the product to give me any ideas of potential new directions where the game intends to go. But if you like simulations, this product has many things going for it. The premise is interesting for anyone who loves animals. The idea of setting up and managing your own zoo is very appealing. And the interface is easy to use. A lot of care and attention has been put into the game and that is obvious from the interface to the windows.

To be honest, I am not particularly fond of simulations. It is the time frame expectations, the goals, and the fact that you either lose or win which is not terribly appealing. To put hours and hours into an experience then to have the game come on and say "YOU LOSE" is almost too much to take. On the other hand, those who do like a challenge of keeping track of a lot of stuff going on should get it to the nines in this game.

Like all the other Sims that I have dealt with the game comes with both preset scenarios and with more open ended assignments. In all of them you need to build enclosures for the animals you wish to adopt, and then purchase animals for your exhibit. The range of options for building structures, enclosures, etc. is very good. However, getting information for each one is a bit harder to do but in fairness... the help system has not been finished. As I started to experiment with different animals for example I was continually running into escape problems. There is nothing like an escaping elephant to discourage zoo visitation.

The ten year old in our family loved Zoo Tycoon. He loves building things anyway so here he had plenty of tools to exercise his imagination. I would wander into the room and see him absorbed in one chore or another and did not seem to ever get bored or frustrated. This is probably because children are better at just doing things without asking the questions of how or why. But even he got frustrated when one of his creations was taken from him by the game engine for his failure to meet expectations within a scenario. I think he will be perfectly content to play the open ended version of the game. He loves animals and has learned a lot from the program already.

There were just too many problems for any of the adults in the family to want to play it for a very long time. Part of that is that we are looking for relaxation and a game that focuses so much of your attention on details without providing any information to solve the problems is not a lot of fun.

For example... I could have 3 or 4 giraffes. (I have a particular fondness for giraffes) and when the conditions in the enclosure were listed as ideal for all but one... there was always the one who did not like things the way they were and often this was inconsistent with the directions that one was getting from the game. Specifically in this instance the obstinate giraffe felt that there was too MUCH savannah grass in the enclosure while the others were perfectly content. And if I gave in to my giraffe who was upset... then the others went ballistic. I finally sold the giraffe that I could not please but I interpreted that as a failure on my part and was upset with the loss.

The other thing that made me upset was trying to keep the kinds of animals that I was interested in confined. Elephants... apes... all became escape artists under my ownership. I just could not figure out how to make an enclosure that would contain them. As I type this... I am wondering if I should not have put in some kind of water barrier ... like a moat. But... I know that often zoos keep elephants behind chain link... but mine would go on the rampage the moment I dropped them into an enclosure. I suppose this would not be a big deal and would not make it so that I would not buy the game.

It is obvious to me that someone has put a lot of love into this game... love of animals... love for teaching and love in construction of world spaces. With the built in internet connectivity to download new items into the game I think that it is a real winner. I do plan on buying it for the small animal lover in this family. Who knows he may go on to be a great naturalist someday or actually own a zoo of his own?