Game Reviews

Farm Frenzy 2

Star onStar onStar onStar halfStar off
|
| Farm Frenzy 2
Get
Farm Frenzy 2
|
| Farm Frenzy 2

If you're going to try and make money from farming in this day and age, you'd best think a little bit creatively.

Whether that means opening up a farm shop filled with ridiculously overpriced goods you've shoved in a woven basket after a trip to Lidl or strapping up the chickens and letting kids ride them horseback around the barn, bringing in a bit of extra cash can be crucial.

Though it doesn't quite sink to such depths, managing the micro-economy of modern day farming is Farm Frenzy 2's bread and butter.

Nice to meat you

As in the original release, chickens – and the assortment of other animals that eventually follow on – are the lifeblood of play.

Keeping them calm and content so that they lay eggs aplenty is the basic requirement. This means taking charge of a whole host of activities, such as growing their food, keeping the entire compound watered, and, once they've produced the goods, processing all that results into something you can sell at the market.

What makes Farm Frenzy 2 tricky is that all this essentially happens at the same time.

Making sure you reach the level's goals – which initially focus on simple tasks like producing a set number of eggs, but soon move on to a much tighter framework, where even the number of animals you own is called into question – relies on your ability to keep all the cogs turning.

Greasing the wheels

Everything from getting a little zealous with your initial purchases to simply forgetting to restock your water reserves can bring play to a halt.

Like all time-management sims, reacting to events quickly is also key, though this isn't aided by a cursor that crawls as you guide it around the map.

Likewise, the game's fresh graphical style, though richer than its predecessor in terms of texture, often makes it hard to fathom what's happening and, as a result, just what's required of you.

Add to that some confusing menu systems and you have a sequel that builds on its predecessor in terms of content, but fumbles its delivery a touch.

Still, if farming a little bit of extra cash for yourself is your bag, Farm Frenzy 2 has the meat – and, indeed, the dairy – to make a second dally in the fields a crop worth harvesting.

Farm Frenzy 2

Though a little less refined than the original, Farm Frenzy 2 is well structured enough to make money matters down on the farm more than a little entertaining
Score
Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.