If you're looking for a game that's fun, looks great, and is educational, then search no more! Rarely in the gaming industry can one find a game that is equally fun and educational, but Microsoft has a strong contender for first prize with this gem.

In Zoo Tycoon 2, gamers can create and control the zoo of their dreams, customize their animals' enclosures, and achieve various goals with these zoos. There are three different game types in which one can play. First, there is the freeform mode, which is also known as the sandbox mode. In the challenge mode, players can choose the size, the type, the location, and the amount of their start-up money in these scenarios, without having to deal with the hassle of primary goals. However, it is the campaign mode that will thoroughly impress the most. While a good number of other simulation games feature campaigns that have goals essentially focusing on money matters, Zoo Tycoon 2 blew us away with its chosen campaign goals. Even though there is the typical "Zookeeper in Training" mode, there are also campaigns aimed to help redevelop financially troubled zoos, prevent animal abuse, create zoos focusing on animals from specific climates and environments (also known as biomes), and promote conservation of endangered animals. Positive morals in a game? Who knew such a thing could be?

The sounds in Zoo Tycoon 2 caused a mix of positive and negative reactions. Unfortunately, the background music isn't very catchy and pretty forgettable. However, the sounds that animals and zoo patrons make are amazingly accurate and enhanced the game significantly. Each animal has distinctive sounds and noises; while the red pandas barked (yes, barked) at each other, the zebras neighed at each other. Also, each animal made different sounds depending on whether they were playing with their companions or performing a mating call. Each separate sound could be clearly heard as different depending on the animal's intention. Zoo patrons were just as impressive as the animals and their sounds; park-goers would talk amongst themselves when viewing animals, cheer when they witnessed animals grooming or being born, and scream bloody murder when an animal escaped.

Similarly, the graphics of this game are incredible, but suffer from a few glitches which took away from the gaming experience. Every animal is accurately depicted without looking like cartoons or characters. In fact, the animals are more realistically depicted than zoo patrons. Another impressive characteristic about the animals is their interaction with both their environment and fellow creatures. For example, not only do polar bears hide out in their caves and penguins tread water, but the red pandas climb up and down the trees and the zebras rub up against the scratching posts. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the graphics is how accurately animal interactions are rendered. Not only do the gorillas groom each other, but they do so in the proper position, with the dominant (usually the male) gorilla being groomed by the submissive (usually the female) gorilla. The mother snow leopard carries her children in her mouth to different locations within the biome as the father snow leopard keeps his distance. Besides being wonderful drawings, the depictions of animal interactions are scientifically accurate. Unfortunately, despite how extraordinary the graphics are, the aforementioned glitches are difficult to overlook. There are collision problems such as zookeepers walking through gates. We also watched one beaver (who was described as "going to eat from the food bowl") struggle to climb out of the pond for the entire game; we were not aware of his plight until we received a message in the queue, "Benny is really hungry!" since we were focusing on creating homes for some other mistreated animals.

While there are adequate menus available to both organize and find different animals or items, the linking of the menus could have been better. The main menu, which included building, animals, landscaping, and staff options, would close out all windows that popped from it, but the menu depicting the choices and suggestions made by the zookeeper for that specific animal would not, leaving the gamer to close these windows individually. Control of the menus is adequate, but can be improved upon.

The attention to detail, educational value, and graphics make Zoo Tycoon 2 a very worthwhile purchase. The fact that there are more varied options to winning than just gaining money (something which is prevalent in most other "Tycoon" games) makes it all the better. The faults we found were mostly minor, or could be easily fixed with a patch. So, if you think you have what it takes to run the zoo business and take care of animals, this is where it's at!