Chances are goood that you've played a game like this before, as the gameplay is a little basic for a match-3 puzzle game, but why play the same game with boring blocks or jewels when you can have cute little animals instead?

Ok, so maybe “a little basic” is an understatement. There is no storyline to speak of.  The animals in a zoo are on a rampage, and as the humble zookeeper you must fulfill your obligations to the cruel and lazy curator by capturing the runaways.  There is no story mode in this game, which is very disappointing. The closest thing to a storyline is the "quest mode" in which the curator gives you various goals for you to meet and insults you if you do not meet them.  And... that's it. Seriously Ignition Entertainment, is that all you could come up with? It would have been dramatically better for this game if you folks would have put just a little time into the plot!

As for gameplay, this is your average match-3 puzzle game on the simplest level. You have a puzzle area on the lower screen and the target animal (or quest goal) on the upper. The puzzle area is organized in an eight by eight grid of various animal icons. Using the stylus or buttons you match three animal icons vertically or horizontally by swapping adjacent icons. In normal modes, you gain levels buy meeting a quota of animals captured. There is a time meter that gradually empties faster by level, but matching animals extends your time limit.  In multiplayer (which can be played ad hoc with one cartridge), your skill can affect the emptying of the opponents clock. The time meter is applied in quest mode also, but the relevency of it depends on what the goal is. There is also a very limited array of powerups that appear randomly throughout the puzzle. Overall, the gameplay is sufficient but could use more variety and excitement.  The graphics and the music, on the other hand, are A+ plain and simple. The visual style is absolutely adorable and the music fits nicely.

Zoo Keeper does not live up to its potential, that is for sure, but it still has the classic qualities of a great puzzle game with the added bonus of an adorable visual revamp. Even someone who is not into puzzle games can appeciate its visual style, and it is definitely a winner for puzzle game enthusiasts.

	System:	Nintendo DS
	Genre:	Puzzle
	Experience:	Played through all modes

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