Animal games

If you remember the old stand-up console video games - the ones where a quarter gave you a decent amount of game play - then you might recall Donkey Kong and Rampage as some of the only few featuring animals as the lead characters. Nowadays you can get your digital animal fix on your home console, PC or Mac. After doing many searches it seems that Nintendo has the market on this, especially for the Nintendo DS. It makes sense as it's a portable system that can be accessed on the go for those virtual pet games like Nintendogs.  If you have a pal with a DS, too, then you can connect and visit each other's critters interactively. The DS also features such games as Farm Frenzy and Virtual Vet.  For home computers, Zoo Tycoon has been a fun simulation game that held my interest for quite a while. Building up a zoo from aspects such as staffing, admission fees, breeding and concessions can be tricky to balance and takes some practice to have a booming zoo of your own. The new kid in town seems to be Facebook gaming. Where else can you be working on your companies sales in Excel while keeping a window eye on your farm, zoo, or aquarium? Facebook games are designed to take about 10-15 min per day as check-in and maintain. But, if you're like me, they can lead to social recruiting and an obsession to have the latest upgrades and specialty items! Zoo Paradise, Country Life, and Pet Society are just a few that I play. I'm sure if you search through Facebook's extensive list of applications you can find hundreds more. So when the sun goes down and you can't find much on tv this summer, plug in the electronics and start bashing buttons!