Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs

Pros • Lots of dinos and new dino related structures • A few tweaks have been added to the interface • A handful of new scenarios	Cons • High priced dinos require more careful management that may be frustrating to some • Priced too high for what it is
Bottom Line If you've got an "I love T-Rex" T-shirt, then pick this expansion pack up right away, otherwise wait for the price to drop. Dinosaurs are cool. Everyone knows it. Taking a cue from the Jurassic Park movies, this Zoo Tycoon expansion lets you hatch these prehistoric beasts and populate your zoo with them. And you thought people ran when you unleashed the lions in the original game!

Before we begin, let's be clear. This is an expansion pack that requires you to have the original Zoo Tycoon. Now, onto the game.

Having dinosaurs in your zoo can cause lots of problems. They're very expensive for one thing: you can quickly deplete your profits by going on a dino egg purchasing spree. They also require pricey electrical fences (and even then can sometimes get out if your maintenance workers let the fence fall into disrepair) and if you want to have a "Dinosaur Recovery Team" to catch those pesky pea-brained lizards when they escape, that's another good chunk of cash. One other thing--their poo is really big and you'll need lots of workers to come and suction it up. And dinosaurs are cared for by higher priced scientists rather than regular zookeepers.

It took me a few tries before I created a viable dinosaur zoo and I found I had to expand very slowly. But dinosaurs are cool and being the proud owner of a herd of Stegosauruses or a roaring Allosaurus is satisfying indeed, especially because you’ve got to work so hard for them.

All your favorite dinos are here, Allosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Velociraptor, and, of course, T-Rex, among others. It's not just dinosaurs, there are wooly mammoths, wooly rhinos, sabre-toothed cats, and giant tortoises as well. The Ice Age and Dinosaur themes carry over into the structures and zoo decorating too. You can serve up Bronto Burgers, add a dinosaur inspired mini-putt course, enhance the prehistoric aesthetics with a Triceratops skeleton, or research a Pteranodon House to house ancient flying reptiles.

There are a handful of new scenarios, including one very advanced one where you have to breed a T-Rex. There are also some new maps that feature lava, and tar pits. The visuals and sounds are the same as they were previously--great.

Besides the dinosaur content, are there any other changes? A few. You can now hide your guests, foliage, or buildings to make it easier to have a good look at what's going on in your zoo. It was a pain in the original game when your animals were upset at a certain type of terrain in their exhibit and you couldn't even see it because it was under a building. This hiding option is a really handy addition. Dinosaur Digs also gives you the ability to sort the dino content from the rest to make it easier if you just want to concentrate on the new animals.

The other addition to the game is an improved building management tool. You can now directly compare all the buildings and see how their average profits stack up. Is pizza more profitable than burgers? Maybe drink machines are a cash cow. This tool provides you with more information to make decisions on how to make your zoo make more money.

Dinosaur Digs contains some real enjoyment, but doesn't really add very much to the game. More creative scenarios would have been nice. The new content is a lot of fun, but reconciling the cost is tough. For what it offers, and at two-thirds the price of the original game, Dinosaur Digs is priced too high. I'd suggest downloading the free content (new animals and scenarios) off the web for the original game and biding your time until this expansion hits the bargain bin.

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