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Title: Zoo Tycoon 2
Website: http://zootycoon.com/default.htm
Publisher: Blue Fang/Microsoft Game Studios
Platform tested under: Windows XP
System Requirements: Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP
Pentium III 733 MHz or high processor
256 MB RAM
Direct3D-compatible super VGA graphic adapter with at least 16 MB of Video RAM (VRAM).
16-bit color at 800_600
DirectX 9.0-compatible sound card
4x or higher CD-ROM
900 MB available hard drive space
[Not available for Macintosh, sorry]
RATING: E (everyone)
AGE: This one doesn’t have an age rating, but for least frustration I would say it’s going to work best for 8+, unless you play along with your kids.

There is one important thing my junior reviewer and I have in common – we love animals. So we just had to buy Zoo Tycoon 2. The animals are gorgeous 3-D creatures that walk, run, snuggle, roar, fly – most of the interactions you’d see real zoo animals do. If you put males and females in the enclosures you get babies, both a crowd favorite and viewer favorite. Plus, the game has a file on each animal telling things about its life in the wild. My seven year old loves those – and the zoo information also tells you what kind of ecology is right for the animals, what they need to eat, and what kinds of toys they like. There are actually a lot of things to keep in mind when building exhibits and stringing fence can be a little frustrating at times, but the resulting zoo is well worth it. Once the player becomes fluent with building enclosures, there are also interesting variations you can do with raising and lowering terrain and adding gorgeous waterfalls.

The game names each animal by specifies and gives it a number according to how many you have in the game, but you can rename the animals if you like. Our junior reviewer always names all the animals so she was pleased by this feature. You can give all the staff and visitors new names too, if you like.

One of our all time favorite things about the game is that you can go into “zookeeper mode” and see a human-eye view of the zoo. You can walk down the paths, peer into the displays, and wander right into the enclosures – while you’re in the enclosures, you can go ahead and clean up animal poo, wash the animals, and fill their food and water dishes. It’s always fun to wash an animal and see him get happy. The zookeeper view also gives you a chance to really enjoy the animal animations – they are amazing! You also get to admire the fountains, flower gardens, and other decorative items. My junior reviewer also loves snapping pictures of the animals.

Care of all the zoo animals does take some knowledge. If you fill the bear exhibit with males – they tend to fight. If you put antelope in with the lions, it doesn’t go well for the antelope. And if you leave openings in the cage walls, the animals terrorize the zoo guests – though, we have to admit, watching the lemurs attack guest is a bit funny. For some kids these are bonuses rather than challenges, but for sensitive younger children it is worth noting that the animals can and do die. Most from old age, but poor care will also result in animal loss.

The game actually has choices about how challenging you want to play. In freeform mode, you never run out of money – which is just great for young children who just want to build zoos and have the fun of playing zookeeper. For older children, there are challenges available with specific goals and limitations to see how well the player can manage all the different elements in a zoo. Keeping all the animals well and happy AND keeping all the visitors happy can be quite challenging – especially on a tight budget.

Once you meet all the challenges of Zoo Tycoon 2, you can add expansion packs for more fun – including special endangered species packs, water animal packs and even dinosaurs. This is one of our favorite games for fun, fantasy, and educational value.

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Reviewed by Jan and Rachel Field, NWFCC Children’s Softward Review Team

by Suzanne Lieurance

With so much software on the market these days choosing the best games, learning activities, and other computer materials for your kids can be tough. Sure you want your kids to have fun. But the best software should do much more than just entertain. And you certainly don’t want to waste your money by purchasing something that isn’t developmentally appropriate for your children.

So how can you be sure you’re making wise choices when it comes to software?

For starters, read reviews of any software you’re thinking about buying. You’ll find reviews in a variety of places. Many computer and parenting magazines feature new reviews in each issue, and online software companies usually provide reviews of any products they carry. But aside from that, consider these five elements when choosing software for your kids:

1) Educational Value - Most good software programs explain the skills the program teaches or reinforces. You’ll want to make sure a variety of skills are taught with any program you purchase. Also make certain the learning activities are age and developmentally appropriate for your kids. If you aren’t sure what this means, this is where reviews will help, and look for software packages that contain a user’s manual which gives basic information about child development as it relates to the software. And, of course you’ll want to choose programs that encourage creativity, imagination, and exploration.

2) Design Features - First, you’ll want a program that is easy to install and has several playing options. For example, a SAVE option so the game or activity can be saved each time the child plays it, and maybe even a PRINT option so the child can print out portions of his work. Next, check to see that the program offers the learner (your child) clear directions and on- screen help. If your child is a pre-reader you’ll want the software to include icons or audio directions, as well. Finally, look for outstanding graphics and a program that offers animation and sound. After all, computer programs are competing with television for your child’s attention and interest every day, so they must look and sound as appealing as possible.

3) Fun Appeal - If kids don’t like a program it doesn’t matter how educational it is. Again, read reviews to see what other kids and parents say about it. Also, check to see that the program offers positive feedback and methods for teaching children that could not be experienced in a different media (through books or by the teacher at school, for example).

4) Value vs. Cost - Some programs can seem quite expensive, yet they’re really a good value because they can be used over and over again (without the child losing interest), plus they teach or reinforce a variety of skills. Also, most high quality games and actitivites offer a variety of levels appropriate and interesting for children of many different ages.

5) Scary Images and/or Violence - Emily J. Johnson, Ph.D, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse, advises parents to “avoid scary images and violent themes found in some software. Some children have particularly difficult times with scary images - even if you don’t see them as scary. And regarding violence - it isn’t that the child will necessarily turn around and become violent, too, but he/she learns that violence is a way to solve problems. Plus, do you really want your children ‘killing off bad guys’ just to learn a math concept, for example?’”

Computer games and activities are quickly becoming part of the educational experiences at childcare centers and schools across the country. Talk to your children’s teachers to see which programs they recommend, and also find out which programs your children are using at school. There may be other programs you can purchase that would coordinate well with these.

Donna Nelson, M.Ed., preschool teacher at the Francis Institute Child Development Center in Kansas City, says, “the best type of computer programs for young children are ones that offer a child many choices and many ways to get to the right answer.” And Linda Bell, M.S., Coordinator of the Francis Institute, reminds us that “wise parents and teachers will view computer programs as another tool to use to help children learn - and not use them as a replacement for other developmentally appropriate activities.”

Once you get the hang of it, choosing the best software for your kids shouldn’t be that difficult. It just requires a little time and research.

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Suzanne Lieurance is the founder and director of the National Writing for Children Center and a children’s author, freelance writer, and writing coach


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Title: Books by You: Create and Publish Your Own Books!
Publisher: Knowledge Adventure
Platform tested under: Windows XP
System Requirements:
Windows XP: Pentium II 400 MHz
128 MB RAM
32 MB DirextX-compatible Video card
16-bit color at 800×600
DirectX-compatible sound card
24x CD-ROM
200 MB available hard drive space

Macintosh Workstation
PowerMac G4 800 MHz or intel Core Duo Processor
OS 10.2.3, 10.3.1, 10.4
256 MB RAM
32 MB video card
16-bit color at 800×600
24x CD-ROM drive
200MB available hard drive space

RATING: E (everyone)
AGE: 8+

After his huge success with writing picture books, John Lithgow is helping teach kids to write stories with BOOKS BY YOU. Although technically the name is a misnomer, there is still plenty of fun and learning in this software. The software comes with four multi-chapter stories and the player is asked a series of questions – the answers to which will be plugged into the story. During this “question asking” phase, you get voice-overs by John Lithgow explaining about characterization, dialogue, action, etc and their place in a good story. After the player has answered all the questions for a given chapter, the answers are “plugged in” and the child is given the chance to edit those plugged in answers. So, you aren’t really writing the story – just filling some holes.

For a child expecting to actually write a story, this is likely to be disappointing. You do get to insert some creativity into the story with your question answers and with photos or graphics. You child can illustrate the book with scanned art or photos, or you can simply use the illustrations provided. When the story is complete, you have the option of exporting the file and having it printed by Lulu.com – for a fee – thus allowing your child to have a bound copy of the finished story.

Our 7-year-old junior reviewer loved this program. She loved all of Lithgow’s tips on writing and has incorporated them into other writing she does – she especially loved the “pop up” videos when Lithgow actually appeared and talked about some element of writing. She loved having the program ask her all the questions and getting to think of the funniest or most creative answer. She loved the editing stage (she loved the idea of playing editor and she really enjoyed reading the story). Probably her favorite part was writing the bio and seeing her photo in the finished book file. That made her feel like a real writer. She also loved the idea of buying one of the books in print so she can have a book on her bookshelf with her byline, her bio, and the dedication she wrote – the fact that she only wrote a small portion of the story is not a problem for her.

For older children, I suspect the severe limits on how much of the story they can actually write would greatly reduce the enjoyment – this really is a program for children just beginning in story writing.

Reviewed by our mother-daughter review team, Jan and Rachael Fields