Wildlife Park

Ever since witnessing monkeys hurling faeces at each other as a young boy, I have been fascinated by zoos and wildlife parks. But not, it would seem, having played this effort from Novatrix, fascinated enough to warrant sitting down for eight hours at a time trying to recreate the experience on my PC.

Actually, that's harsh. Had this not been so acutely similar to pretty much every other Theme Park management sim out there, it would have been more appealing. Imagine the animals in their enclosures are the equivalent of the rides in Theme Park, and everything falls into place. Lower prices encourage visitors, guards keep order, bins prevent rubbish, burger joints earn cash, nicely planned paths and scenic features keep people happy. Any Theme Park fan will take under two minutes to adapt to the new surroundings.

As far as the animals go, herein lies the game's trump card, and there is enjoyment to be had in training penguins to jump through hoops, .watching your vet getting mauled by a Siberian tiger, and cleaning up mounds of elephant dung. The campaign tries to keep things interesting with plenty of challenges and scenarios to deal with, and a free play mode is there for those who just want to build and build.

It's really not a bad game, but it's just so painfully similar to those that have come before. Probably perfect for your kid brother or sister who loves animals, or for that bloke who got caught wanking a dolphin in the North Sea. But not for the rest of us.