News flash: Best operated zoo will win $1,000,000! 4 are in contention and it’s up to you to assist the zoos. Can you make the difference?

Zulu’s Zoo is another hidden object game. This one integrates the zoo atmosphere with educational data in their many puzzles. Of course since you do not have any experience, you start out as an apprentice doing menial jobs such as cleaning the trash from the penguins’ habitat or counting the fish in the aquariums. Click on the hidden pictures to complete each level. The camera viewfinder will focus on a subject and you click to take its picture.

The mini games are not only enjoyable but educational as well. You are to put the animals on day or night circles depending on how active they are during each period. Another puzzle is to place the animal on the correct continent, and one is to place the animals in order of the food chain. Upon completing the puzzles or tests, you are raised to a specialist. It will behoove you to learn the animal facts given at the end of each level. There will be challenges to test your knowledge.

Zulu’s Zoo is a pleasant game. The many zoo scenes are cluttered and beautiful, but a few objects are difficult to make out. Luckily there are many hints to use. Click on stars to receive a hint. In addition you can go to the memory game to click on pairs of zoo animals. Another duty of yours is to take photographs of different animals. There are some puzzles when you search for 1 type of animal (11 monkeys or 22 fish). They may look different but there are many species of each animal. I like this Mac game for its ease of play and the animal data that are given to you. I think this game is great for kids and casual gamers. So learn all you can about wildlife in order to rise in the hierarchy of the zoo and win the million dollars. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 for an educational and enjoyable game.

Features of Zulu’s Zoo:
-Animal Facts
-Zoological Tests
-More than 60 Rounds

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Where in the world is Farm Frenzy taking us now in this third of a series of fun time management games? You’ll be traveling to 5 exotic locations around the world from Africa to the arctic South Pole. Each site will have its own indigenous creatures. You will have to take care of the animals, prepare goods and raise money for your farm to prosper.

Scarlet receives a letter from her good friend Morris who needs help with his farm in Africa. Upon arriving Scarlet finds embezzling within the local farmers’ union. Scarlet and Morris are not so easily foiled and they both get to work to make the best running farm in the area.

You begin by watering plots of land so grass can grow, and the guinea birds find food and lay their eggs. You click on the eggs to put in the warehouse. When ready, you click on the scooter to transport your eggs to market. You’ll receive money for your goods and after waiting for your scooter to return, you can start all over again. Eggs are fine but you can get more if you process your eggs into powder. That means you need to purchase a machine to do this. Thus begins your journey into the farming business. You must put up buildings, upgrade them, cage wild animals like lions from destroying your birds and bake products from your powdered eggs. There’s enough to do while at the same time making money, getting achievements, trophies and stars. The stars are needed for new animals and upgrading buildings.

Not only do you collect these awards, you must meet your level goals such as getting so many guinea birds, sell so many eggs and capture the wild life dropped on your land. Certain items can be bought in the shop but others will have to be produced by using your bought machinery and building structures. This is when the “frenzy” comes in with you doing as much as possible as fast as possible. Speed is another factor so you can earn your trophies and stars.

The gameplay is similar to their other games but adds a few items to make this one as addictive and fun as ever. The 3D animals are great fun to watch and capture by clicking on them over and over until a cage surrounds them. The 5 locations around the world will bring about new animals and activities to perform. The game is repetitive, but isn’t that what makes a good time management play? If you are new to the genre, choosing any one of the Farm Frenzy franchise will give you the pleasure and fun these types of games produce. Try Farm Frenzy 3 and play a fanatic game full of things to do with colorful graphics, 3D animals and good upbeat, rhythmic music. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 for a entertaining, solid game.

Features of Farm Frenzy 3:
-5 Different Locations Around the World
-95 Frenetic Levels
-Help the Farmers of the World

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Mac line drawing game Great Migration is based on the National Geographic’s show by the same name. It’s amazing how far animals and insects will travel each year in huge numbers risking their lives to get to their destination. This is the premise of this game. Your job is to take your “herd” to the green safe zone avoiding the deadly predators who will make a meal out of your migrants.

Initially choose the mode you would like to play from Migration, Survival and Field Guide. In addition, National Geographic offers several different difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard and Crazy. To play this game you lead your migrants by clicking on a Monarch butterfly (this is the first insect you must guide). The butterfly will turn yellow designating it as the leader. In order to get your group to follow this yellow butterfly, you must circle around to attract others to follow. It took me a few tries to determine the best way to get followers. Circle around the entrance where the other butterflies appear, gather 10 butterflies and then draw a line from the yellow leader to the green safe area on the other side of the screen. The trick is to avoid predators like the praying mantis, ants, and birds. When you think you have found a good path to take, a predator will figure out your strategy and foil your every move. When this happens, click again on the leader and change the course or your butterflies will get eaten. There are 4 waves for each leg of the journey. As you go higher in each level, the predators will increase. When you thought you only have to deal with the ground insects, birds are added to the mix making your crossing even more difficult.

However, there are some helps along the way as well. The wind will help carry your migrants quickly through the deadliest areas. There will be clouds to shield your passageway from the predators. Also helpers will aid you when you need them. The Speed helper will increase the speed of a butterfly that may be near a predator. The Heal helper will repair butterflies and the Slow helper will make your predator slow and sluggish giving your butterfly a chance to fly by. The helpers will be at the bottom of the screen after you earn them. You click on the one you need and drag it to the screen.

This educational game (it gives a lot of interesting facts about the animals) is not easy. You will need to be smart about guiding your migrants so strategize, change your path if you need and use all the helps to provide a safe haven for your butterflies. The other animals you will be directing to their destinations are the salmon (bears are their enemies), zebra (lions) and the red crab (cars). There are 64 migration routes to follow and guide your migrants to safe green zones. This is not an action packed play but more of a thinking one. The artwork is simple and the music ominous. Try it out and see if you can successfully herd your animals to safety without killing them. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Features of Great Migration:
-National Geographic Game
-64 Migration Routes
- Facts about Animals

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Anna needs to help her grandpa take care of his farm. He is getting older and it is difficult for him to care for everything by himself. Your job is to help run this farm by earning and selling the produce and animal products. The game has 2 modes of play: Arcade (timed) or Casual (no timer).

You begin the play by soliciting the pumpkin seeds at the bottom of the screen to plant in the patch of dirt. The game will let you know what to plant and how much to plant. Pay attention to this because it will make a difference in your play. I just planted what I wanted and did not make enough money for the purchasing of a duck, but the game assumed I should have made enough money and would not let me go on to the next level and would not let me buy the duck because I didn’t have enough money. It was a vicious cycle until I decided to get out of the game and start over and follow the instructions. To begin the play you click on the pumpkin and then click on the area whereyou want to grow the pumpkin. Next click on the well, and Grandpa will fill a bucket of water to irrigate your vegetable garden. After watering you need to click again on the patch to hoe, and click when the pumpkin is ripe. Click to pick up the pumpkin and click on the bicycle to deliver it to the market. Afterwards the bicycle rack will have your money for your pumpkin. Click on it and it will go towards your earnings.

After your level is complete, the game takes you to the shop where, if unlocked, you can purchase different kinds of seeds, equipment, and farm animals. With the additional purchases your farm will earn more money quickly. When you purchase animals, they have additional needs to keep them healthy and happy from pumpkins and cabbages. They must be fed so Grandpa must harvest the crop to feed them, and they need water so he has to go back to the well for the bucket of water. If done properly and fast, the duck will lay eggs to sell at the market.

Other plays are the pig is the trash bin and will take care of useless things, crows will tear apart the crops so click on it to scare it away, and the rabbits if you click repeatedly will get rid of them for good. Another side game is the sheep hidden from the wolves. You must find 10 sheep in the scene.

Farm Mania will get hectic after several levels so many chores to accomplish, but this is what the farm life is all about, right? The graphics and sounds are good and the play is enjoyable. Save Grandpa and his precious farm!

Features of Farm Mania:
-Life on the Farm and Country
-60 Levels
-Arcade and Casual Modes

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bob the Builder is at it again. This time he is building a zoo. Bob the Builder Can-Do Zoo is a series of educational and entertaining children’s basic sim type of game. Bob is a boxy, friendly and encouraging cartoon character who will help your toddler learn new shapes, colors, patterns, tools and planning. It sounds overwhelming for a 2 year old, but with its simple oral instructions, your curious youngster will have more than a learning experience, but also fun at the same time.

Choose a profile from Scoop the front loader, Roley the rolling truck, and Muck the mixed front loader and truck vehicle. I know one kid who would love to have a garbage truck to choose from the list. This game would be ideal for him. There are 3 modes of play: Free play, Sticker Book and Story. In Free play you decide the game by moving the cursor over the boxes, and it will tell you what the play is all about. You click on one of the many boxes and then click on the difficulty level. One game is to put the tool back in the appropriate toolbox. You match the color and the type of tool. Another play is to return your zoo animal back to their homes. Once again it will match the color of the animal with a shape and color of the same kind of item. A little more difficult play is to put the blueprints in sequence. This may take some work with the youngest of toddlers, but older 3-4 year olds will be able to master it. A fun play is the find the same tools under the pile of leaves. The leaves will part and separate revealing various tools to choose from. You click on the same tool shown at the top of the screen. Be sure to match the right colors.

A different game is to paint a fence at the zoo in different patterns. Also a similar play is when the truck drives up with piles of supplies and you are to click on the pile that will fit the pattern already on the truck. Bob the Builder is very helpful and always there for you to support moves, and if you should make a mistake he simply says try again. Other great things he’ll say are yes, got it, and nice job. Always simple and to the point.

The Sticker mode is just that. There are stickers at the bottom of the screen that you have won from playing the games. With these stickers you can create a fun and playful scene of your very own. The third mode is Story. It is all the games put together to produce a smooth story about creating a zoo. You will play the same games as the Free Play mode in an orderly fashion beginning with the plans and blueprints.

Bob the Builder Can-Do Zoo is a well thought out great learning and playing experience for young children from 2 to possibly 5 year olds. It all depends on the child and how far along they have developed. All kids are different and they develop at different stages so as a parent you will have to gage the pre-schoolers ability to play this wonderful Mac game. Once hooked on this colorful, well drawn, and very communicative play, your child will find a new world of learning and fun.

Features of Bob the Builder Can-do Zoo:
-Teaches Creative Problem Solving
-Collect Stickers
-Fun for Children

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars