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Wanted: operations manager for an up and coming business enterprise. Experience not necessary, but applicants must love animals, possess a good head for business and be prepared to get their hands dirty.

Fresh from Microsoft Game Studios comes Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species. It requires an installed copy of Zoo Tycoon 2 to run; if you are unfamiliar with Zoo Tycoon 2 check out our earlier review. The expansion will run on the same system specs as the original, and it's not very hardware heavy: in fact, it's quite low spec compared to most new PC games out there. Requiring a 733MHz processor, 900MB of hard drive, and a 16MB/3D video card, it will be hard to find a computer that can't cope with it nowadays.

Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species is a simple point and click strategy game which involves building and running a successful zoo'. You are required to handle all the maintenance and running costs whilst trying to pry every last cent you can out of the visiting public. Operated mostly from a bird's eye view perspective, controls are via the mouse with a few hotkeys to assist with camera rotation, zooming in or out, maps, loading and saving the games etc. Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species has a full tutorial to help you get into the swing of it, but we don't find it particularly user friendly.

If you've played Zoo Tycoon 2 before then brace yourself for a whole heap more of the same! There are quite a few new and exotic critters to play with, plus you can create new attractions such as vehicle tours and sky trams - all designed to help you fleece the public from their cash. However it's still the same simulated zoo, with its fame rating and money earned from the public used to fund more attractions. Aside from fans of sim-type games and children it may not appeal to the wider gaming public, because there isn't a deathmatch mode and you can't train your animals to assist you in your quest for world domination...

Twisted beings that we are, we experimented by building an oversized alligator pit; when there were loads of visitors milling around we sold off all the walls and put in an extra candy floss stall in the middle, before sitting back to watch the fun. We waited, and waited... Eventually one or two alligators had a half-hearted snap at a punter who got a little too close - but don't worry, he quickly got back up again and walked off uninjured. The alligators got crated up and awaited deposit in another enclosure (we put them in with the flamingoes). For the briefest of moments we were a little worried that the public could sue the zoo for negligence, but the only outcome was a message stating the public couldn't see the funny side and would stop visiting if the animals weren't properly caged.

As mentioned earlier, this expansion pack is basically the original game with a little more variety and a few extra challenges. Since game play remains largely unchanged, anyone familiar with Zoo Tycoon 2 will fit right in. It has some added features for the general public like elevated paths, vehicle tours, and sky trams. You can zoom in on each of these and see it from first person perspective, as if you were actually on the tour or ride. You can also take basic snapshot photos and add them to an album for later perusal.

Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species also features more animals with special needs making them... well, 'endangered'. Endangered species range from Przewalski's wild horses or the Scimitar horned oryx to the not-quite-so-endangered American bison and koala. All in all there's about 20 new animals (bringing the total to over 50), with all their individual requirements to cater for, along with new challenges and plenty of new objects for you to marvel at.

There's another side to the game that may appeal to closet accountants out there, since you have to run a business successfully and make a profit. You can't do this by simply upping the prices for rides; you'll need to research animals, objects and try to keep the customers happy, too... happy enough to spend money, anyway.

Graphics are pretty clinical, for lack of a better word; there's sufficient detail to tell all the animals apart but they lack depth and character. The sounds are decent enough, and as far as game play is concerned the designers have genuinely attempted to incorporate all the elements required to run a successful business - or in this case a zoo, as well as the day to day challenges you might face.

Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species is rated PG, a rating which implies it would best appeal to children learning about animals. There are plenty of interesting animal facts to discover (now you can find out all about animals you never knew you wanted to know about!). We found the game a little bland, really only suited to children and fans of the sim genre.