Zoo Tycoon Complete Collection
Combining three top-selling titles, Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection includes the original Zoo Tycoon game and the Dinosaur Digs and Marine Mania expansion packs, allowing players’ imaginations to run wild as they care for more than 100 land, aquatic and prehistoric animals in the most beautiful and lively zoo imaginable.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Great (educational) fun software
My kids have really liked this for a long time. They have learned a lot about animals, sure, but also about managing projects. Plus, it’s fun! It’s “educational” software that they think is just fun. It spurs creative thinking and is challenging for a range of ages.
5 Stars So Much Fun!
I love this game. Very addicting, you can end up playing for hours and not realize it!
5 Stars Fun and educational too!
This game has enough possibilities to keep you entertained maybe for years! At the same time it teaches you facts about a large variety of animals and their habitats as well as teaching you how to manage money and resources to keep your zoo growing. My grandkids love it too so it’s fun for all ages!!!
5 Stars Great for anyone, even pre-schoolers. Reading not necessary.
Of all the games that my 5 year old twin girls have, Zoo Tycoon 2 gets the most consistent use. We’ve had the whole set for a year and a half (since summer 2007).
When we started out, they would sit on my lap and direct what they wanted built. Sometimes I’d play the scenarios, but mostly we just use the Sandbox mode. It was mom’s job to make sure the animals got what they needed (food, habitat, toys), but they were paying attention. When the Extinct Animals add-on came out they were in heaven. There were squeals of delight when the dinosaurs went on a rampage.
After a few weeks, I could leave them in the ‘first-person mode” and they could walk around the zoo and play with the toys. The toys have realistic movement, such as splashing when you kick them into a pond. They just love that. You can also ride on the back of an orca or dolphin.
Shortly after that, I’d comeback to find they’d left the ‘first-person mode” and had started adding items to the exhibits or even building their own exhibits. They weren’t reading yet, but it’s not really necessary. (ok, you don’t get the warning hints, but they didn’t seem to care.) There are very good icons used and good links in the various screens, so you don’t really need to read. For example, clicking on an animal will give you a screen about that animal’s health and needs. Clicking on the `keeper’ icon on that screen will take you to other screens that will show you which habitat, food, shelters, fences and toys are appropriate for that animal.
Slowly there was less help from mom and nowadays, they do everything themselves. They are just starting to read and are starting to ask about the scenarios and challenge modes.
In addition to great fun, they’ve learned a lot about the animals, such as, which ones lay eggs, where do they come from and what kind of habitats they live in.
Best hints for starting out:
Be willing to play with them for the first few months.
Use the sandbox mode. (no restrictions on money or what you can buy)
Hold off on showing them some of the additional features (photo mode, fossil hunting, extinct animal research mini-games), until they’ve mastered the basics.
4 Stars Zoo Tycoon
My 9-year-old son played this game at a friend’s house and decided to use his Christmas money to buy it. Instead of paying $30 for a different version at Target, we got the one he really wanted on Amazon for $10. There is no violence, no weapons, but something very addictive about building the zoo, picking animals for the zoo exhibits and taking care of them. The goal is to keep the animals and zoo visitors happy — a simplified version of a Sims game, I guess. My 9-year-old begs to play the game every day. Even my 12-year-old son got interested and plays it a lot.
Buy/More Info
PS3 Games Strategy Animals And Their Habitats, Dinosaur Digs, Expansion Packs, Extinct Animals, Fun Software, Grandkids, How To Manage Money, Managing Projects, Person Mode, Pre Schoolers, Prehistoric Animals, Realistic Movement, Sandbox Mode, Squeals, Twin Girls, Tycoon Game, Tycoon Zoo, Zoo Tycoon, Zoo Tycoon 2, Zoo Tycoon Complete Collection
