Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania

PUBLISHER: MICROSOFT

DEVELOPER: BLUE FANG

GENRE: STRATEGY

ESRB RATING: EVERYONE

PRICE: $29.99

REQUIREMENTS: PENTIUM II 233, 64MB RAM (128MB RAM FOR WINDOWS XP), 600MB HARD DRIVE SPACE

RECOMMENDED REQUIREMENTS: NONE

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: NONE

Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania introduces more than 20 aquatic flora and fauna to your Zoo Tycoon zoo and adds another dimension to the attractions your zoo can offer. Dinosaurs are so 1994��the kids are hip to sharks, dolphins, sea otters, and penguins these days, and Marine Mania delivers seafood in spades. Most new species must be housed in aquatic tanks and require the care of a marine specialist (as opposed to the zoo keeper who looked after land animals in the original game).

Sea World�Cstyle animal shows and attractions are an added feature to this expansion. Certain animals can perform tricks, requiring you to build a show tank, purchase a grandstand, supply stage toys, and plan a schedule of performances to increase the zoo's profitability. Special tricks can only be unlocked after meeting prerequisites.

Like the original Zoo Tycoon, the difficulty level involved in the gameplay is practically nonexistent. Young kids will appreciate Marine Mania the most (although that certainly isn��t always the case, and you know who you are). Marine Mania compensates for its lack of gameplay revitalization by including the second add-on (Dinosaur Digs) with the latest aqua-pack. That's right, two Tycoon expansions for the price of one! With the economy in the toilet, who doesn't love a good deal?

VERDICT: (3) If you like Zoo Tycoon and you like fish and dinosaurs, you��ll want this. Otherwise��

Copyright © 2003 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Computer Gaming World.