Rating: 
Summary: Zoo Tycoon gets 4 Stars
Review: (I reserve the right to give THE SIMS 5 Stars.) I have been having so much fun with this game. Even though it reminds me of a child's game, (due to the animals) it is fun to see the complexities unfold as the game progresses. Changing the prices of services and products, guiding your patrons through your designed zoo maze, designing the zoo, choosing the types of animals you can have in one location; infinite choices, a fun use of imagination and great micro-management fun for hours! (of which I have been playing all weekend!) A must-buy but, please don't take my word for it: go to the Microsoft website and download the excellent demo (with tutorial) for FREE and have a blast!
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good!
Review: I am really into tycoon games, and of the ones I own this one is definitely a cool one. I like the fact that you can put up fences and build your own custom environments for each animal. Although sometimes it does get hard to handle with keeping the grass from being trampled, that is part of the challenge! Another thing that I wish was added to this game was that you can get a Zookeeper to stay in just one exhibit. Unfortunately they walk around and sometimes the pens get "poo" in them, and the animals lack food. Those are the only two things that I have to complain about. Something good is you can start in a land with up to $500,000!!!! I like that a lot... I would recommend this game to people that like tycoon games and like to keep track of things for sure!
Rating:
Summary: I am going to buy this game
Review: I downloaded the demo of Zoo Tycoon off of Microsoft.com It is a good demo, with enough detail and teasers to have made me play late into the night. I will be buying this game very shortly. I love games like The Sims, Age of Empire, Caesar III and Black & White, etc. From what I can tell from the demo, this game is very detailed oriented, like the beforementioned games. Plus, it has the freedoms that micro-managing-builder gamers, like myself, live for! It does feel like it is a bit more geared for children but that doesn't take away from the fun. If you like the games mentioned about, I have no doubt you will get hours of enjoyment with Zoo Tycoon.
Rating: 
Summary: Zoo Tycoon is not bad, but......
Review: My kids and I are fans of Roller Coaster Tycoon, so I immediately bought a copy of Zoo Tycoon when it was released. After playing it for about a week now, I'll give you my opinion of it. Much like Roller Coaster Tycoon, you are tasked with designing and operating a profitable park. You can lay paths, change the height of terrain and change the surface to various groundcovers. Basically, you must first create an enclosure, using any of a wide range of barriers, including fences and soild walls. The you select a groundcover. Once this is accomplished, you pick from an impressive array of animals and "adopt" them into your enclosure. They will quickly let you know how they like the enclosure you designed via little happy or frowny faces that float above their heads. For guidance, you can hire and then ask a zoo keeper what they recommend for that particular animal. Add some trees, add some rocks, add a building for the animal to sleep in, add some flowers, add some water and eventually, after much tweaking, the animal(s) will be happy. Or not. Your guests are pretty easy to please, as long as you follow this formula: HAPPY GUESTS = HAPPY ANIMALS. As long as your animals are happy with what you give them, the guests will keep coming and more items become available for you to buy. Eventually, you will be placing food places and even basic amusement rides for your guests to enjoy.
The program is mostly nicely executed. The graphics are clear and the animation is OK. It ran a little choppy on my 300 MHZ system, though. My biggest complaint is that I wish the game allowed you a bit more creativity. For instance, all the enclosures you can build are basically rectangular, since you can only assemble walls with right angles. I wish you could build elevated paths (or tunnels) a bit more like Roller Coaster Tycoon. Each enclosure ends up being almost cookie cutter-ish. Build a square, stick stuff in it, get an animal...repeat. Don't get me wrong, my daughters (12 and 8) LOVE IT! They are little animal fanatics. The game is good, my kids really enjoy it, but as an adult, I wish it could do more and let more creativity flow.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Better Than I Imagined!
Review: I'm not a huge fan of zoos, but Zoo Tycoon (ZT) is better than I imagined! To sum it up, this is an AWESOME game!!! I'm a newly married graduate student working on my Ph.D. I have been waiting patiently for a sim that comes close to the near perfection of the Rollercoaster Tycoon (RCT) series. Now the wait is over! I tried the ZT demo and was so hooked that I purchased the full version the very next day. The game play is amazingly similar to that of the RCT series, so fans of these games should have no problem. For those of you who don't like to spend tens of dollars on sequels, you'll be happy with ZT since you'll find that they won't be necessary. ZT comes loaded with tons of animals, scenery, guest attractions, and other features that will ensure that no two zoos will ever be the same. [Picnic tables are even included...a pet peeve of mine about the RCT series.] There are 13 scenarios provided, but for those who prefer freeform zoo construction, there are dozens of options for you as well. You can even alter the amount of money you begin with so money will not be a problem if you truly want to rid yourself of constraints. There is quite a bit of precision that is involved in playing ZT, from providing just the right balance of terrain types and foliage for each animal exhibit, to replacing worn out terrain and fencing. Most of the buildings can also be customized by painting their roofs. In addition, you have to be mindful of the number and gender of the animals you place in each exhibit. If conditions are right, the animals will have babies. If not, your animal population will start to decline due to illness, old age, or (sniff) an untimely death. I'm sure that as players explore the challenges of ZT, there will be some talk about what is not currently available and should be in future sequels. I for one will spend countless hours enjoying ZT as is. ZT is a wonderful addition to the world of sims!
Rating:
Summary: A Fun Game to Play
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Da Best!
Review: Zoo tycoon is the best Zoo Game in the world! Even the demo is really fun!!! The graphics are good and you can let your animals on the lose! You get to even select adult fee and childrens fee! So just get it!
Rating:
Summary: zoo tycoon is a very good buy
Review: I am a big fan of games like zoo tycoon and I was not disappointed when I bought this game. The scenarios are great because they're challenging and each one is different so it stays interesting. The game is great, they're so many different options it keeps me playing for hours.
Rating:
Summary: Personal Favorite
Review: This is the best computer game I have ever played. If you are a fan of strategy games then you will love this game. If not then I'm sure you will be after playing this game.
Rating:
Summary: Similarity to Roller Coaster Tycoon is no coincidence...
Review: When I heard that Zoo Tycoon(ZT) is coming, I expect zoo version of that famous and interesting Roller Coaster Tycoon(RCT). And I found that my speculation was correct...so much! Don't get me wrong. I'm not sorry that ZT is similar to RCT. Actually I'm a bit satisfied and relieved that this is not the case of Pool of Radiance which tried to be different from Baldur's Gate and a bit failed in a gaming sense. All in all, I enjoyed ZT as much as I've enjoyed RCT. And I prefer animals to coasters...I am actually having more fun. So why didn't I give it 5 stars? Because ZT has no breaking-through ideas which is, as I mentioned before, good for this game.
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