The first Zoo Tycoon was a great game for the entire family because it offered several cool elements that kids, teens and adults could wrap their heads around. Parents liked it because the game was engaging and melded animal micromanagement with the popular them park gameplay and micro-management elements of staff and cash (and taught kids everything they ever wanted to know about animals - including what they eat, what kind of habitat they live in, and their various likes and dislikes). Kids liked it for those aspects as well, in addition to be able to nurture animals and create fun and interesting exhibits that park attendees could fall in love with (on the darker side kids also enjoyed the fact that a rampaging lion let out of a cage could do some pretty nasty things if given the opportunity).

The popular game series by Blue Fang gets a serious shot in the arm this time out by adding lots of new gameplay features, full 3D graphics and a ton of new species of animals. The game once again is geared towards adults and kids alike with a plethora of interesting features that enhance the gameplay and in-game content fun for kids.

Zoo Tycoon 2 sports a brand new 3D game engine that moves the graphical appeal of the series light years ahead of its predecessor. Now players can zoom in and out of the game world to their liking and explore every nook and cranny of their park as they see fit. The game also fleshes out the world with animations galore, tons of 3D objects, park attendees, 3d animals and all kinds of activities and happenings that have come to life in a major new way. 3D graphics, when used properly, can really bring a game time life and Zoo Tycoon 2 uses them to deliver a pretty slick overall product. The 3D nature of the game also allows gamers to enter park in first-person mode and explore every nook and cranny. Players can also take photos of their park in first-person mode and can store up to 24 shots in a photo album - this album can then be exported to HTML format and shared with others.

3D graphics are one thing, but it's all about the gameplay - and Zoo Tycoon 2 offers a lot of new content that fans of the series will truly appreciate. The game offers three different gameplay modes at start-up including Campaign mode, Sandbox mode and a Challenge mode. Campaign mode serves up several separate campaigns that unlock more difficult challenges. These start out as simple tutorials that give you an idea of how to play the game and then move on to more difficult challenges. For those folks that don't want to be limited by funds and game options there's Sandbox mode, which gives players unlimited money, map types and animals to choose from. Finally, there's the challenge mode which gives players access to new animals, cash rewards and other game goodies. The game modes are fleshed out well and the overall theme of the game - from the music to the graphics - are inviting and fun.

Other important aspects of the new game are the habitat editor and biome brush functions, which allow gamers to tweak an animal's environment to fit its needs. While you could do this in a limited fashion in the first game, Zoo Tycoon 2's use of these functions has been refined to create a natural habitat that really works well within the framework of the game, allowing for the creation of multi-habitat areas within a zoo with natural boundaries.

Another very cool feature in Zoo Tycoon 2 is that players can get up close and personal with their animals via the zookeeper mode. This allows players to do everything from feeding their animals to healing them when they are sick in an up close and personal fashion. They can also clean up their messes, feed and water them, and examine them to their hearts' content. In addition to caring for your animals, players will need to build and expand your zoo. Players lay down paths, create habitats using the Biome Brush and laying down fencing to keep creatures separated and safe. Players can also flesh out their parks with more buildings and objects including attractions, toys and functional facilities for everything from food to cash and restroom facilities.

Zoo Tycoon 2 is above and beyond Microsoft's previous game and expansions in just about every conceivable way. Serving up a game world that is fully interactive, offering slick 3D graphics, tons of new animals to toy with and lots interactivity with a lighter difficulty level that will nudge both parents and youngsters to give this game, Zoo Tycoon 2 is poised to please and entertain consumers across the board. If you're a fan of Animal Planet or theme park style games than Zoo Tycoon 2 should be on your radar later this year. The game is scheduled for release early next month. You can learn more about the game at www.microsoft.com/games/zootycoon . And be sure to check out these new screenshots from the beta version of the game!