Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania

While the rise of The Mighty Boosh has given working in a zoo a little cultish kudos, the enduring popularity of the zoo simulator is still a curious phenomenon. The niche within a niche is undeniably a tiny genre of gaming, but this month alone mobile phones have had their catalogue of releases boosted by Zoo Keeper and now Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania.

Essentially combining the classic SimCity formula with a developed version of the faddish Tamagotchi toys, Marine Mania is actually a surprisingly substantial god game. Most of your efforts are focussed on catering to the needs and whims of your aquatic animals, but almost as much time is spent constructing your zoo, pleasing your punters, and maintaining your cash flow.

Of course, predictable game mechanics like feeding and cleaning are in place, but there is far more on offer than you might expect from a typical pocket sized asset management game. As well as laying out your menagerie and tinkering with marine-based furnishings for the cages and toys for the animals, you can trade your watery prisoners, and even train them using some simple action mini-games.

Don't let the focus on animal care and decoration mislead you, though. Zoo Tycoon 2 is a fantastically detailed sim, and has all the depth of more sober equivalents. Whether managing animal wellbeing or cleaning water filters, you will find yourself constantly under pressure to improve your zoo. While this might sound like a list of chores, it actually makes for wonderfully compulsive gaming.

Juggling various tasks and prioritising objectives is as important as the decision making that dictates the success of your attraction, and the combination of strategy and pace needed is often thrilling and always absorbing.

Most importantly, Zoo Tycoon 2 fulfils the most important criterion that successful games of the genre always do. It manages to be accessible, intricate and intuitive, and it is also enormous by mobile standards. The fact that the campaign game, which contains ten full missions, is effectively a tutorial is a testament to both the scope and depth of In-Fusio's creation.

Simple drop down menus that enable you to manage your zoo, exhibits and animals keep the controls straightforward, though as with all releases that opt for an isometric perspective, thumbstick input can be a little unreliable and occasionally confounding.

Visually the game is excellent, thanks to the predominance of graphics that are both functional and filled with character, and the sound, while relatively uninspiring, is of a reasonable quality. Throughout, the game is filled with nice details and neat tricks, and it can eat up your time like the greediest of captive animals.

If you like combat and drama in your strategy titles, you'll have to look elsewhere. Zoo Tycoon 2 is unashamedly one for animal lovers and those in pursuit of some innocent escapism.