Zoo Frenzy is actually one of Gameloft's first DSiWare exclusives, seemingly made from the ground up for this platform. It's great to see Gameloft give DSiWare a stronger focus, by developing new titles. Although Gameloft may have slipped recently with the likes of Legends of Exidia, this is a surprisingly good release.

    The game is best described as a mixture of different games put together. Picture a simplified form of Roller Coaster Tycoon, Pokemon, Harvest Moon all into one and you'll get a good idea of what to expect from this game. Your help is needed to restore Animals Island to what it once was by starting from scratch. The island was once a hustle and bustle tourist attraction until many of the animals contracted an unknown virus that either killed them off, or left them vulnerable for kidnapping. Once you get things going, it's your job to run a small-scale zoo and watch it develop into a large money-making business. 

    At the start of the game, you'll only be able to access the game's Story Mode on one of three difficulty settings: Easy, Normal, or Hard. You'll take on quests from the Director of the company to increase your zoo's level and capacity. Players start off taking control of a small location, but as point totals increase, your map will expand and will be able to accomodate more visitors and animals. The writing for the cutscenes aren't well-written but those of a younger age probably won't notice or care much for it.

    Controls in this game are mapped to both the D-Pad and the stylus so it's up to you what you feel most comfortable with. Some areas will call for more D-Pad use for more effectiveness, but you should feel at ease in being able to use them interchangeably. The top screen acts as your HUD while the bottom screen is where all the action takes place. The HUD consists of a map, the in-game clock, tourists in the park, food count, the health of your pet, and more (depending on where you're located).

    Each day you wake up to will start in the home of the game's main protagonist. To wake him up from sleep, you'll need to speak into the DSi's microphone (and yes, it does feel gimmicky). Really, simply blowing into it will suffice and you'll likely opt to do this considering how many times you'll need to bring him out of bed. Your home has a stove where you can cook dishes by consulting recipes you have on you. You also have a television wish sometimes will broadcast messages that advance the storyline. Finally, there's an aquarium that contain up to 6 different types of fish. If you collect all 6, you'll get a prize and you'll be able to collect them all over again.

    As you go through the game, you'll encounter various animals that you can claim as your own pets. Your first pet is a small yellow bird who, at first may not be intimidating, but with a few level-up's, it can hold its own ground. Each animal has different statistics including Level, HP, attack power, defense power, its main source of food, and the rate at which it eats. Of course, many of these attributes can be improved either through use or by using special items. It's great that players can control the animals in this way, rather than just having them there for show.

    Overseeing a park of this scope can be difficult, but thankfully, you have a handy user-friendly menu that lists everything you need. You have a total of 9 options to choose from: Info, Management, Build, Quests, Items, Animals, Shop, Admin and Tips. From this in-game menu, players can track the number of animals and buildings in the park, look at a breakdown of their main sources of spending and income, and set prices for admissions and eateries. All buildings and environment add-ons (such as benches) wear down over time. These need to be maintained, so you can either assign staff members to take care of them automatically, or manually repair all structures using your own funds. The admin option even allows you to adjust the tempo in the game, another great feature for those who may find the game's pace a little slow. You can certainly expect to consult this option many times as you play the game.

    There are three main buildings you'll want to take advantage of as you organize your zoo. Food, Training and Lab facilities all serve important roles in keeping your zoo running. Obviously, the animals in your zoo need food to eat, and the Food facility is where you'll get said nourishment. You'll need to play a mini-game where you organize and match series of categorized capsules to add to your food count. Because you'll run out of food constantly, you'll need to play this a lot over the course of the game, so some may quickly find this annoying. Training has players enhancing the skills of their pets by playing one of three mini-games: a Bejeweled-inspired game where you match fruits, one where you dodge hockey pucks for as long as you can, and one where you kick soccer balls at a statue with the right timing. Some of these are fun, but after a while, they just seem a tad annoying.

    The R&D Lab is the only facility without a mini-game attached to it. Here, players purchase one of many different research options, leaving staff to develop it over the course of a few hours or even days. You can create up to 3 different locations in your park per facility. Having the maximum number will extend your resources, and even increase the number of animals and staff you're allowed to have. If you have the money for it, there's an easy way out for the Food and Training facilities so you don't need to play the mini-games. You can always purchase special items from the Shop that will produce the same desired effect, but for a hefty cost. It's great that you have the ability to do this, because if you get annoyed with the mini-games, you can always opt to do things the quick and expensive way.

    As time goes by in the game, your health bar will decrease. You'll need to get rest before you run out of hearts by travelling back to your home. Alternatively, you can also replenish your heart meter by eating food purchased from the shop or found during your explorations. Much like with the facilities, players have two different ways of reaching the end result, and depending on the amount of money you have on you, you'll need to weigh the pro's and con's. You really have to get yourself into a groove before you can earn lots of money and begin profiting. If you make poor executive decisions, you can find yourself stuck in the negatives. If you don't pull yourself out of the gutter, you'll get Game Over. Before the situation worses, you'll need to isolate which area in your zoo is causing your sales to crumble and fix it before you plunge further into debt.

    Other than constructing buildings, you can also collect butterflies, go fishing, explore for hidden items, or take on sub-quests from tourists. You can even interact with some of the animals in the zoo. Occasionally, random events will take place, including power tournaments between animals. Whatever you end up doing, you can be rewarded well for your actions. Each element in your park (including animals) all count for points that contribute to your overall score. Your zoo can advance to the next level by earning a designated amount of points. Reaching the highest level isn't easy to do, and it takes careful forethought to pricing and other important decisions, but it certainly is attainable.

    Outside the entrance of your zoo, there's a mini-motorboat that can not only transport you to and from your park, but you can also explore monster-filled areas. These fields are very RPG-inspired whereby players use a single pet to fight creatures and save kidnapped animals who appear somewhere on the map. All battles take place right on the field: pressing the A Button will perform your basic attack, and the B Button will use one of your limited special attacks. You'll occasionally find items that are either dropped from enemies after battles, or hidden in trees or water. The only silly part is the fact that you only get a very small amount of pies for battling. Because zoo activity continues while you explore, if you're waiting for something to finish (like R&D) or just want to take a break from construction, this is a decent diversion.

    Presentation-wise, the game looks good with very few technical issues. Although there's one loading screen shortly after you boot up the game that is quite lengthy, all other loading screens take about 5 seconds. That aside, the music fits fairly well with the island theme, albeit songs can get irritating after a while. Replay value is another area the game does well in. For a $5 game (at least in NA), there's a good amount of content, and it's likely that the Story Mode will take you a few days to complete. Plus, the fact that there's two save files allows for more than one person in the household to experience the game. Upon completion of the Story Mode, you'll unlock Free Mode where you start from scratch in the biggest location possible, and run your park with no one hanging over your head. You can also play mini-games on demand, but with no high-scores to strive for, there's little point in doing that. As with other Gameloft releases, camera support has also been integrated into the game. You simply take a picture of your face or an object and paste it onto the main character, or some of your staff members. If anything, it's good for a laugh now and again.

    If you're a fan of games like Roller Coaster Tycoon, then this will be a nice fit. Younger audiences especially will eat this up but that's not to say simulation fans of an older group won't enjoy this too. Particularly for DSi owners in North America, 500 Points is a great price for this game. So long as you don't mind some of the simplicities, you'll enjoy it.