"Can't talk now, busy making faces at tigers."

aims to be educational and entertaining for kids of all ages, and in some instances it succeeds. While the animals are gorgeously detailed in their own right, learning about them and creating an enriching environment for the cuddly critters isn't always presented in an enjoyable way.

Great animal detail; Fun animal facts

Useless Kinect controls; Unintuitive menus; Boring research

Zoo Tycoon is a smart and charming simulator that looks pretty and is fun for the whole family. Some of the tasks quickly become annoyingly repetitive, but that's the nature of the beast, and it's mostly a well rounded package as one of the few Xbox One launch games that will actually be enjoyed by...

+ Family fun; + Kinect interactions; + Looks great; + Do it alone or with friends; + Family fun; + Kinect interactions; + Looks great; + Do it alone or with friends

- Text can be hard to read; - A few small glitches; - Small tasks are very repetitive; - Text can be hard to read; - A few small glitches; - Small tasks are very repetitive

It's Saturday night, and we're nuking turd piles in an Indian Elephant exhibit during a virtual heat wave. No one ever said that the life of a videogame zookeeper was glamorous. It's a lesson Zoo Tycoon teaches firmly; for all its warm, fuzzy screenshots of adorable chimps gazing at butterflies,...

+ Easy to pick up and learn; nice Kinect interactivity; who doesn't like making animals happy, + An initially huge suite of tools to build out your park with; Freeform mode good for the entire family

- Doesn't introduce enough new surprises after long; re-researching for each new Campaign scenario grows tedious, ?

Zoo Tycoon's a tweaked take on the popular PC franchise, redone for its transfer to console. Developed by Frontier Developments (the studio responsible for Kinectimals and Kinect: Disneyland Adventures) the intention is to retain the core essence of the Windows PC games, while creating something new...

This review is based on early retail Xbox One code provided by the publisher. Zoo Tycoon will be available on Xbox One on November 22 as a downloadable title on Xbox Live. The game is also available on Xbox 360. The game is rated E.

A fun demonstration of the Xbox One's capabilities but unfortunately much more a stealth sequel to Kinectimals than it is a proper Tycoon game.

Cleverly thought-out interface manages to work very well on a joypad; Animal mini-games are charming and the online options very robust

There's no depth to anything and the game pulls its punches in terms offering any real challenge or even true customisation; Graphics have some rough edges

Much of the work can be done from an omniscient, birds-eye-view. Using the simple menu system and a circular cursor, you select a new display or restroom or concession stand and plant it wherever you'd like on a flat grassy map, gradually creating a sprawl of restrained wildlife.

The Zoo Tycoon series has been letting PC owners build and manage their own animal park for over a decade, and the latest entry makes its debut on Xbox One. While it's a comprehensive business simulator on PC, the console version simplifies the administration experience to make the game appeal to a...

Easy to read and navigate menus; Good Kinect implementation

Restrictive construction limit; Difficult to meet visitor demands

You are unable to make personalise enclosures, there aren't too many animal groups; however, there are subspecies. This game is too focused on the idea of being the zookeeper, you can no longer make the zoo of your dreams :(