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The original Monster Rancher was released in the middle of the Tamagotchi craze, and at the time it seemed like the logical extension of a virtual pet. Where the Tamagotchi had a very limited array of commands, Monster Rancher had a wide variety of monsters that you could raise and compete in tournaments with.

Unfortunately, although Monster Rancher was a great game, I really didn't feel like it took full advantage of the hardware. The gameplay was very limited, giving you only a very small number of things to do. Monster breeding wasn't incredibly exciting because all it did was use the polygon model of the primary monster and the texture map of the secondary. To add to that, there weren't that many monster types and the special ones were very hard to get.

It may sound like I hated Monster Rancher, but that's far from the truth. I just feel that part of the reason everyone thought Monster Rancher was so good was that they were comparing it to a Tamagotchi, which probably had about 4K of RAM. Obviously, that's not such a good comparison.

Game development often works this way. First a concept game is created that has most of the features that the designers want to see in it, but it's not necessarily their dream fully realized. If the game does well, a second version is made to be everything that the first game wanted to be. This is the story with the Monster Rancher games.

The goal in Monster Rancher 2 is to raise a monster from infancy into a champion of arena battles. It's not as simple as it sounds. There are many choices to be made along the way. The first one is the choice of monster. One of the best additions to Monster Rancher 2 is an enormous number of new monster types.

There are four ways to create new monsters in Monster Rancher 2. The first way is to get them at the market. They give them out for free and have two types that are constantly stocked, and one type that changes seasonally. I consider this to be the least interesting way to get a new monster because it doesn't feel nearly as special to me.

The second way to create a new monster is by going to the shrine and using any CD you own to generate a monster. The game reads a certain piece of data from the CD and uses whatever it finds to create your new friend. This is one of my favorite methods of generating a new monster. It's so exciting to try out an obscure CD and see what kind of creature you get!

The third way to get a new monster is to import them from a Monster Rancher 1 save game. This way if you had some powerful monsters from the first game you can use them in the enhanced system in the second. Because of the limited range of monsters from the first game, I'd rather make new ones in Monster Rancher 2.

The final way to get a new monster is to breed two monsters that you have already created. This is lots of fun and can lead to some very interesting monsters, particularly if you use secret ingredients to spice up the combination. This is a good way to get some of the very rare monsters in the game.

Once you have your monster, bring it to the ranch and start its training. One of the changes made since Monster Rancher 1 is that drills replace the jobs your monster used to do. Your monster doesn't get any money for doing drills, so the only way to make money to feed your monster with and continue its training is by battling in tournaments. Your monster can now also cheat, run away, and do great at training sessions. You can still pay to send your monster away on an intense training session, but now they can encounter random monsters that will attempt to fight them.

Tournaments are the same as in the original Monster Rancher. You are pitted against a number of enemies with the option of controlling your monster during the fight. The AI for your monster may have been improved, as I let it go on its own and it won a decent number of fights. I'm still a better fighter, but if you just want to run Monster Rancher 2 in the background while you write a game review, this is a pretty good option.

There are just so many little tweaks and additions in Monster Rancher 2 that it's impossible to mention them all. Pets seem so much more alive, there are so many new objectives, and over all the game is just a whole lot more fun than the original Monster Rancher.

This game could probably last forever. The game is also more difficult than the original. Before you advance to a C class monster, make sure you are very well prepared because things get very difficult! With all the new monster combinations and secret monsters, plus a score of new game objectives, the only limit to this game's playability is your interest in it. If you love this game, it will last you a long, long time!

The menu system is simple to use and efficient. The controls are pretty straightforward, making it possible for almost anyone to just jump right in.

Monster Rancher 2 utilizes some deceptively cartoony graphics. At first glance they appear to be simplistic and of poor quality, but when you look closer you notice that there is hardly a jagged polygon to be found. Because there will never be more than two monsters on the screen at the same time, each monster has a surprisingly high polygon count, with some monsters having smooth, curved edges!

Hybrid monsters also look much better now. In the original, they had the body of their primary and the texture of their secondary. In Monster Rancher 2 their body is a mix of the primary and secondary monsters, with the texture map of the secondary. In addition, each monster has its own portrait, adding even more character to your little guy.

Most of the music stayed the same as in the original Monster Rancher, which is too bad because it's not terribly good and it is terribly repetitive. There's also a disturbing little sound from your helper bird whenever your monster succeeds at training. It all fits the cutsey feeling the game has, but even so it makes me want to play something else.

Overall I think Monster Rancher 2 is an excellent game. It can no longer be compared to a Tamagotchi. It is now an excellent game in its own right, and the best of its genre. With over 400 combinations of monsters, some very difficult to find, plus more challenging gameplay and greater gameplay options, Monster Rancher 2 is a must have for anyone who wants a virtual pet. Plus it gets the prestigious Girlfriend's Thumbs Up award, which is something very few games are lucky enough to receive.