Zoo Tycoon Expansion Pack: Marine Mania - PC

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Good news animal lovers! Microsoft's Zoo Tycoon gets another expansion pack, this time it's all wet with Marine Mania. First it was zoo animals, then dinosaurs (the Dinosaur Digs expansion pack, which is also included in this package), and now it's marine life. Marine Mania lets you build a water park like SeaWorld, complete with dancing penguins, bottle-nosed dolphins, or your own version of Shamu the Killer Whale.

The expansion pack fits right into the existing core gameplay of Zoo Tycoon. You manage your park, listen to your customers, plan the layout, listen to your "spets" (zoo keepers) for the right mix of exhibit size and food for your various critters, and watch everyone enjoy the park. Add an amphitheater to any pen and you've got ample seating for a show. There are 20 marine animals (from jellyfish and sperm whales to orcas and great white sharks) and some animals (dolphins, orcas, etc.) double as terrific entertainers. Once again, you can always mix animals, and of course the only violence comes from mixing carnivores with the gentler fishes. But Marine Mania is as kid friendly as ever, so the best you get is some thing during a great-white feeding frenzy, rather than red-tinted waters. Drop a human in the pool and they simply swim out. Darn. Keeping with the kid-friendly theme, the game also features an encyclopedia entry on each critter, which makes the gameplay almost as educational as a trip to a real water park.

The only problems are the game engine and graphics. Microsoft targeted low-end computers, which is fine, but as time goes on each expansion pack looks more and more behind the times. The animation in Marine Mania is simple and quickly becomes boring, and that's something that should never be said about a shark feeding frenzy or trick-performing dolphins. Still, the expansion pack is an absolute must for fans of the original game, particularly those who skipped Dinosaur Digs since Marine Mania generously includes that earlier expansion pack. Parents should strongly consider this series a fun learning tool as well. And naturally, fans of water parks, marine life, and the Zoo Tycoon series can't go wrong here. --Andrew S. Bub

Pros:

• Kid friendly
• Educational
• Hidden animals and wacky "Easter eggs" revealed on Zoo Tycoon Web site
• Includes Dinosaur Digs Cons:
  • Perhaps too kid friendly
  • Simple graphics

From the Manufacturer

This expansion pack to the top-selling Zoo Tycoon provides more than 20 new marine animals (dolphin, great white, giant squid), customized aquatic shows such as the dolphin and killer whale shows, a ton of new objects, and 10 new scenarios. You'll make a huge splash by adding killer whales, manta rays, and other exciting marine animals to your existing zoo.

Note: This is an expansion pack for Zoo Tycoon, and requires a copy of Zoo Tycoon to play.

• Includes Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs Expansion Pack.