I am Jennifer, and I am graduating from the Environmental Protection University. I want a career working with large aquariums. My Grandpa Jack is a famous oceanographer and could get me an in with my dream job, but I’m a pull-myself-up-by-my-own-bootstraps kind of gal, and I decline his help. I will have to work my way through a series of trial aquariums to earn my job.

Fishdom: H2O: Hidden Odyssey is a fun combination of a sandbox game and a hidden-objects game. My goal is to design my own aquariums — making the best aquarium possible. I have to optimize my combination of fish, beauty and comfort. I get to choose the fish and decorations I want to buy and place the items in my tank (the sandbox part). My challenge is that all of these items are going to cost money. How I earn my money is where the hidden-objects part comes in. I do a series of deep-sea dives, looking for objects on a list or all of the gold objects I can find.

I have a choice of playing against a timer or in a relaxed mode. I chose the timer, but it’s not that bad. I’ve had no trouble beating the clock in the first aquarium world. If I do get stuck, I have a little tank of sea horses. I can release one, and it will lead me to a hint. I can find hidden sea horses in the different scenes to earn additional hints.

There are three aquarium worlds — Hawaiian, Pirate and Wild West — and there are two levels to conquer in each world — basic and expert. Beyond that, I can play in any unlocked aquarium as long as I want. Once I’ve maximized my fish, beauty and comfort goals, I can putter around and rearrange my tanks to my heart’s content. I like that a screensaver function is built into the game so that I can enjoy my custom aquarium outside of the game if I want.

The tutorial did a good job. Grandpa Jack is quick to jump in with advice to get you started and introduce new concepts, but you can turn off the tutorial and make him go away if you want to go it alone or if you’ve played through once and want to give it another go. Beyond Grandpa Jack, the fish themselves are helpful. Once you buy your first fish, you get the occasional thought bubble showing what he (or she) would like to see in the tank next. When I started my Pirate tank, I bought the first fish on the list. I was heading for the plant options when I found out my new little friend would prefer a red seahorse companion. Good to know.

The music is enjoyable. It sets a nice ambiance. The graphics of the fish tank are pretty. I like how the different fish look and how they move around through the tank. The animation is incredible. I used to have aquariums, and there’s nothing jarring about how these fish move, though they are a little brighter than the real-world equivalent.

There are a variety of nice decorations for each tank. They range from different plants to kitschy aquarium classics. It’s cool how the fish respond in different ways as you move the mouse. Some are curious, and some are shy. You’ll learn which are which.

The only part of the graphics I didn’t care for were part of the cutscenes in which Jennifer is talking to her Grandpa. Their faces are semi-animated as they talk back and forth, and it’s an odd effect. I would have preferred no animation. The cutscenes are optional. You can easily skip through them and get right to the aquarium action.

I’ve really enjoyed my time with Fishdom. I generally like hidden-objects games, but I’m also a fan of sandbox games — getting to design my own little world within the game world. Fishdom is a great way to enjoy the two together. If you like virtual aquariums, or hidden-objects games, or sandbox games, or any combination thereof, I highly recommend Fishdom H2O. It isn’t a hard game, but it’s definitely relaxing and pretty.