The world of animal care sims has now come to the Wii. There are many, many veterinarian sim titles on the PC, but I believe this is the first for the Wii. This appears to be a good idea, as the Wii controls could be used to doctor, pet, carry and play with the animals. However, Zoo Hospital plays more like an arcade game with veterinarian themes. The gameplay is fun enough, but there’s not a whole lot of true-to-life animal care involved.

Just as in the NDS version, the story is that your Aunt Lucy needs your help to save her zoo. A recent veterinary school graduate, you are willing and able to take care of the animals, in order to build the zoo’s rating and attract more animals, which will in turn attract more visitors.

The main screen is a map view of the zoo. The animals are represented by icons, which will flash red when the animal is sick. Clicking on the icon will transport players to the sick animal, where they will need to diagnose and treat the animal. Unlike the majority of veterinarian games on the PC, the diagnoses and treatments are more arcade in style than realistic, although there are some realistic elements.

For instance, evaluations require players to follow a moving circle on the animal with the remote, which will then light up. Once this happens, players will be taken to a close-up view of the animal’s problem area. If the animal has hair, players will shave (realistic) the area, then take care of the different problems by doing things like blasting parasites and bugs, spreading ointment, or giving injections, usually by arcade types of play that require quick reflexes to gain a good rating (not realistic).

There are more than 40 animals to take care of, which is a lot. After the animals have been treated, there is some follow-up care oftentimes. Sometimes the animals will want some personal attention like petting or feeding, or need some additional medication in their food. By successfully treating the animals, players can earn awards for display in the office and later unlock a multiplayer mode of cooperative play, which allows players to treat animals with their friends.

There is an educational component in the encyclopedia portion of the game, which has some good information about the different animals, but most kids aren’t going to read these types of in-game factoids unless the gameplay requires them to do so. Sometimes the players will need to read a few of these to figure out what to do for treatments, but not very often.

The game looks very good on the Wii. The animals are detailed and the backgrounds are nicely drawn. The colors are bright and cheerful, and the maps and mini-games are colorful.

Zoo Hospital is an interesting title and one that kids (mostly girls) will enjoy. My 14-year-old niece is having fun with it, but it’s really too easy for her and is more geared for kids ages 7-12. I would rather it be more realistic like some of the similar titles on the PC, and have the kids conduct examinations that involves using the information uncovered during the exam to present a likely diagnosis, and then treat the disease or wound. I think the Wii controls would lend themselves very well to this type of play. However, my niece has no complaints about the educational quality and most kids won’t, either, they’ll be too busy zapping bugs.

Gameplay: 7.0
Zoo Hospital is a game that most kids will enjoy playing, but after all the animals have been treated, there’s not much else to do. The arcade elements are fun enough, but there should have been more realistic treatment alongside as well.

Graphics: 8.0
The graphics are appealing and well-drawn.

Sound: 7.0
The music is average, but not annoying.

Difficulty:  Medium
The arcade elements are not too difficult, but not too easy, either. Kids are scored on how well they do in the treatments.

Concept: 6.0
While this may be the first animal simulation game for the Wii, there’s not much new or innovative in this title. The execution and design is good.

Multiplayer:  6.0
The multi-player cooperative mode doesn’t have a whole lot going for it.  It’s not that much fun to treat animals together, really.

Overall: 7.0
Kids will enjoy playing Zoo Hospital for awhile, but may get tired of playing the same types of arcade games for the treatments. There are a lot of different types of animals, which is good, and they are attractive in their appearance. The longevity is questionable, as there’s not much incentive to play once all the animals have been treated.  The price isn’t bad for a console game, though, at $30. Best for families with young children.