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Since Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species is an expansion pack, it doesn’t make any major changes to Zoo Tycoon 2. The main content is a new set of endangered animals for your zoo and a set of game scenarios featuring them. There are a few other goodies thrown in, like transportation and conservation areas, but the basic gameplay doesn’t really change. If you’ve read my review of Zoo Tycoon 2, then you know that I had a few issues with the game, such as ineffective camera control, so I was disappointed that those issues weren’t addressed in the expansion.

New animals in Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species include orangutans, koalas, and Komodo dragons (cool!). Along with these well-known animals, there are some more obscure animals like the fennec fox and markhor, so there are some good opportunities to learn about many different endangered species. Of course, each animal has its own biome, food, and entertainment needs. If you’re good at making the regular animals happy, you should be able to figure out how to please these endangered animals, too. (Hint – they don’t seem to like zoo guests very much!) The new game scenarios are fairly advanced, so you need to get the hang of regular zoo situations before experimenting with the new animals. Techniques you’ve developed such as building good exhibits and keeping guests happy will definitely pay off here.

The best new features in Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species are the forms of transportation for your guests. Now zoo patrons can ride in jeeps and sky trams, or wander along an elevated path over a conservation area. Conservation areas, new to this expansion, are wild areas you can set up for your animals. This reflects a real-life trend in zoos to showcase animals in more natural settings rather than cooped up in big square cages. Also, since we’re dealing with endangered species here, the less obvious human contact, the better. Alas, when incorporating transportation, it breaks down a little bit in execution. I had a very difficult time building an elevated path. I couldn’t seem to move the mouse in exactly the right way to get what I wanted, and then I started tinkering with land elevation, until I had something akin to the Grand Canyon and my animals were getting stuck. Now, I’ll admit that the average 12 year old probably has better mousing skills than I do, but I see this as a source of frustration for younger children and their parents. It probably gets easier with a little practice, though, and these new options do add something more to the game than the usual “pack of animals” expansion.

So, what’s my conclusion on Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species? I like the transportation additions, despite the difficulty I had in building paths. I also like the educational angle, especially the use of critically endangered animals that most people have never heard of. What I don’t like is the fact that my pet peeves from the original game have not been addressed at all – still can’t zoom out as far as I’d like, still can’t adjust camera angle. Also, it ran a little slow on my computer, in terms of the game being slow to respond when I clicked on a button. All in all, Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species is an expansion for people who absolutely loved Zoo Tycoon 2 and want a a little more variety. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do enough to make the game more exciting for the rest of us.