Zoos are fun. They bring back good childhood memories. With that said, a zoo simulation should be enjoyable, right? Well those who played the first Zoo Tycoon for the Nintendo DS might say otherwise. Blue Fang Games, the developer, wants a second chance at it and they delivered. Definitely, Zoo Tycoon 2 is a big improvement from the first one. However, Zoo Tycoon for DS still leaves many of the earlier problems unsolved.

The graphics were given a makeover. You can actually distinguish the animals in Zoo Tycoon 2. Plus, they are more animated than the first. Don’t get your hopes up yet. That’s the only improvement of the game, graphics-wise. It still has the bland, boring feel of the first installation.

Zoo Tycoon 2 features a zookeeper mode. While in this mode, you get to interact with the animal in order to improve its conditions. You can either feed, pat, scrub or give meds if it’s under the weather. This is a welcome improvement from the first one. But if you’re a lazy zookeeper like me, you can always hire someone to do that for you.

Zoo Tycoon 2 offers two types of gameplay. There’s the Freeform game where you have the liberty of building and running a zoo without any time limit and conditions to meet. You can choose how much money to start with, as well as the rating of your zoo. While this might be amusing to some, I find it a bit boring really.

The campaign mode is where all the action at. In this mode you have to complete a scenario in a given time period to be successful. Animals such as the Unicorn and Yeti are unlocked by earning trophies in the Campaign mode.

I love animals. I could be working for a zoo right now if I’ve chosen to go to veterinary school but I became an engineer instead. So Zoo Tycoon 2 for the Nintendo DS gives me the best of both worlds. I get to take care of animals and at the same time plan the layout of the zoo. This game can be a good distraction from time to time. I just wish THQ can solve all the Zoo Tycoon DS problems.