Big Fish Games - New Game Releases

Big Fish Games - Time Management

30 October, 2008

Farm Mania






Help Anna save Grandpa's farm in Farm Mania! Grow the farm into a blooming business... errr, I mean a booming business! Raise a fantastic variety of produce and animals; more produce becomes available determined by how much you can produce each day. Buy enticing upgrades and helpful abilities. If the timed Arcade mode leaves you in a frenzied stupor, settle in to your own comfortable pace in the Casual mode of Farm Mania.



In
Farm Mania we take on the role of Anna, set to spend her summer helping her Grandpa revive his farm. Plant, water, and weed the vegetable garden. Bring food and water to care for the animals. Sheer the sheep; collect the eggs! Whew! Grandpa will get the water from the well, and cut the grain and clover if you ask him to. And Grandma Mary will bake the bread if you bring her the grain. But you will still need to find the lost sheep before the wolves get them! Farm Mania will have you running in circles to keep up with yourself!


 
 

I have been getting used to the kids not being excited about any of the new computer games, but Farm Mania revived their excitement! It has been quite a while since both of the boys sat with me for close to an hour to watch or play a game with me.  The boys even asked if they could have a turn trying out Farm Mania! My daughter made comments about how fun Farm Mania looked as she ran by to work on a drawing for an art contest she entered this month!

27 October, 2008

Miss Teri Tale: Vote 4 Me





Miss Teri Tale: Vote 4 Me  Teri tale is back in Miss Teri Tale: Vote 4 Me. In a strange turn of events, Miss Teri Tale finds herself running for election. Snoop on all the neighbors to see who they are voting for, while trying to figure out the identity of the blackmailer.






Miss Teri Tale: Vote 4 Me takes you back to Peeking Town, where you are peeking in on your neighbors, and keeping a tally of their votes. In between locating hidden objects, you will find yourself in fun mini games taking care of Peeking town business! Catch Election day fever and get political in peeking town with Miss Teri Tale.


 

Miss Teri Tale: Vote 4 Me attracted no attention in our house. I think the phrase, "I suffered through it," provides an accurate description. Again I felt as if I were reading English, but couldn't understand the words. Close, but not close enough to quite understand. Of course, it was all easy enough to figure out. I just would not rate any of it a pleasant experience. But, for all those that enjoyed finding Jason in the first Teri Tale, she's back in classic style!



26 October, 2008

Interpol 2: Most Wanted





 Interpol 2: Most Wanted sets you in the role of an agent of the elite International Criminal Police Organization tracking down notorious criminals. Can you find all the clues to find out where they are each headed? Can you solve the puzzle of what they each are attempting to do in time to stop them?




In Interpol 2: Most Wanted you will be traveling to locations around the world looking for clues as to the locations and doings of cunning criminal minds. Start at headquarters, testing out the new features of your PDA and making sure they are working right, before you head out on your missions. In each mission you will be given a list objects that must be found in on of several locations, followed by a location where you must find the numerous objects of the same type, or the differences between the pictures.


 

No one in the house showed a whole lot of interest in Interpol 2: Most Wanted. For whatever reason the game would not play in the full screen mode for me, but I was able to play it in the windowed mode. The pictures in some scenes were absolutely gorgeous, but in others were totally disappointing. The scenes were cluttered with useless objects, instead of skillfully crafted into the artwork itself. I wouldn't say that this was a bad hidden object game, just not one that my family enjoyed.



25 October, 2008

Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst ™





As a Master Detective, the Queen has enlisted your help in Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst ™. Search stately Ravenhearst Manor for clues to put together the diary of Emma Ravenhearst and solve the 100+ year old mystery, and finally put the rumors to rest! Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst ™ will have you searching through all 30+ rooms of the mansion, for clues to the missing pages of Emma's recently discovered diary .

Explore both the inside rooms, and exterior of Ravenhearst Manor in Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst ™.  Once you find enough hidden objects, you can use the crime computer to put together a page from Emma's diary . Learn the story of her arrival in Blackpool, England over a hundred years ago. Read the tale of her romance with her beloved Charles.... Discover page by page the tale of Emma Ravenhearst and Ravenhearst manor as you discover the hidden objects of Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst ™ in this hidden object game!



Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst ™ is a hidden object game that brought everyone running to the computer. The sound effects make this a great game for Halloween. The boys were a bit spooked by them, so I simply turned off the computer speakers and continued play. My daughter and I had a great time searching for objects together in Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst ™, but everyone cleared out when the puzzle rounds came about. After finding enough clues, you use the crime computer to decipher the puzzle pieces which you must assemble. Jigsaw puzzles are my specialty!



23 October, 2008

The Treasures of Mystery Island





The Treasures of Mystery Island draws you into Mystery Island with a magical talisman that you thought was a good luck charm. After parachuting from your cargo plane as it plunges to the earth, you awake to find yourself on a tropical island. Can you find and organize all the missing clues to learn the secret of the island and find your way home again? 




In The Treasures of Mystery Island local clutter abounds! Find pieces, reassemble objects, and straighten up as you attempt to find the pieces you need. The Treasures of Mystery Island is filled with tons of awards and mini games. Even each level feels like a mini game, as you find items at one location to use at a different location! Once you have found and used all the items from each location they turn from red to green on your map , making it easy to see where you still need to work.

 

I loved the bright pictures and easy interface of this hidden object game. The Treasures of Mystery Island drew everyone in for a time, but the boys were put off by needing to find pieces of things, instead whole objects. Despite this, they kept coming back to see if they could sit with me and help! My daughter wandered in and out, as she played with our new gerbils and worked on a Squidoo lens about them. (Can we say science report, homeschoolers ?!) The story line and characters were by no means developed, but the objects were cleverly hidden, and the puzzles were engaging.... And that is why we like to play these hidden object games, isn't it?!


22 October, 2008

Megaplex Madness: Now Playing ™







Buy the historical cinema as it goes out of business and restore it to its past splendor in Megaplex Madness: Now Playing ™. Serve your movie going clients as they buy tickets, get popcorn, and enter the theater.  Megaplex Madness: Now Playing ™ puts you in charge of all the lobby workings, as you bring each theater back to it glorious nature.


on each level you are given a target to earn to make your way to the next level, keep going to expert and earn extra tokens for the arcade! If you can make it to master, you can choose a repair to restore the beauty of your theater!  Megaplex Madness: Now Playing ™ gives you loads of time management fun, arcade mini games, and more. And if you are frustrated over not having what your customer is asking for, Megaplex Madness: Now Playing ™ even gives you the pleasure of shaking it out of them!



I had the pleasure of beta testing Megaplex Madness: Now Playing ™ a couple months back, and we have been waiting for its release so that we could play the full version. Everyone got involved in this one! The boys are fascinated with the arcade mini games, the first of which is in Space Invaders style! Meanwhile, my daughter's favorite part of Megaplex Madness: Now Playing ™ is the ability to shake the customers to get them to change their mind! I enjoyed the entire time management game play, and the friendly scenario.



21 October, 2008

Parking Dash







Join Flo's friend, Karma, as she inherits an empty lot, and turns it into a thriving valet parking service in Parking Dash. Start out in the lot behind Flo's Diner downtown, and serve the needs of all kinds of customers. Everyone from shoppers, to business women, to limo drivers start out your business. Parking Dash will have you stacking cars, and rearranging lots at lightning speeds as your customers watch from the sidelines!


Earn upgrades as you progress and your lot grows; use the elevators to stack cars in the best arrangements, balance the double length of the limos, and the double width of the SUVs!  Parking Dash even brings Flo back into the picture as she waits for you to park and retrieve her pink car! Can you rev your engine up enough to keep up with the fast paced customers of Parking Dash?



I am not sure why I am surprised by yet another Flo game.... Parking Dash gives you the familiar game play of serving customers in a time management game, but in a different venue. The boys started off gathered around the computer as we read the opening story of Parking Dash, but were quickly off to bigger and better things, like Hot Wheels computer games! My daughter said she would give it a try because it is a time management game, but did not show a lot of enthusiasm over it. I guess this family is burnt out on Flo....



20 October, 2008

Mushroom Age









Mushroom Age takes you on a journey through time to set things straight and save the world, time, and Tom. It's only two days until your wedding and your fiance has disappeared in time. Mushroom Age has you traveling into the future, and back to the past meeting interesting characters in your search to find Tom, and set things straight.


In the future, you will meet a robot that cares for the cemetery where Tom is buried. Solve the puzzles to uncover the message he left you at his grave. From there, travel to the past where Nostradamus aids you, and even a dinosaur that helps you along. Mushroom Age is full of memorable characters, and realistic pictures.  Mushroom Age allows you to click to your heart's content to solve the puzzles to keep moving on.




The title of Mushroom Age led to a few jokes and had us laughing about even turning it on to play it. Once the story line started we were amazed at the stupidity of the characters , and how sadly they were portrayed. This in itself made the play tolerable at best. The puzzles and tasks to be solved were extremely easy, and I found myself being frustrated at how long the game took to get from one part to the next. Mushroom Age did not get any better reviews from any of my children. The boys were completely put off by the characters. My daughter enjoyed laughing and solving the puzzles with me.


19 October, 2008

Master of Defense





In Master of Defense you are in charge of the defense of the people in the castle. In real time, you must make decisions of what towers to build, where to place them, when to upgrade them , and more! There are a multitude of available upgrades available for purchase with the gold coins you earn by killing monsters and defending your people.




Master of Defense allows you to use your experience points to buy magical upgrades, and skill upgrades. Skill upgrades allow you to do things like train your people to kill the monsters when they do reach the castle. Master of Defense offers various types of towers for you to choose from. Choose to buy towers to defend against flying creatures, ground creatures, or even a tower that will shoot at both, but is not as powerful.


 

We decided to go back and try out some of the older games on the Big Fish Games Octoberfest list, and Master of Defense is one of these. This game reminded us a bit of Garden Defense™, or "Bloons" that you find in various places online. The basis is that you are setting up and upgrading various towers in order to defend your people against the onslaught of monsters. The whole family LOVES "Bloons" and Garden Defense™, and can often be see gathered around the same computer playing these games! My boys have decided that they like Master of Defense even more as it has monsters to fight off! This game is a winner for boys who would rather have a slightly darker background, and monsters to fend off!

18 October, 2008

Swarm Gold









Swarm Gold puts you into cold, dark outer space battling your enemies for precious minerals. You are dropped off by portal. Collect minerals, upgrade your weapons, and defend yourself from your enemies while you wait for the retrieval portal to open! Swarm Gold will have you blasting away to your heart's content.


Swarm Gold gives the ability for several players to keep their scores on this outer space shooting game. Swarm Gold allows you to choose your level of difficulty. Choose from Normal, Hard, Insane... and my favorite choice... Kid's! Your ship will be safe no matter what kind of trouble you find yourself in! 



 
 

My older son was drooling over Swarm Gold, but he's the only person in the house that truly likes shooter games. The opinion of the rest of the household is that this is a dark, mindless shooting game. It is full of the noise of guns, and mines. While some of the weapon upgrades were really neat looking, it is not a game that we would play. Now, from my the perspective of my older son, Swarm Gold is "the spaciest,  alien shooting, coolest, portal opening, asteroid blasting game." He said brimming with enthusiasm, and ending by giving it two thumbs up!





17 October, 2008

Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown ™





Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown ™ takes you on a mystical journey of hidden objects. Solve the riddle of the portals to open the path and journey on to the next location. Fun mini games help you determine where in the world you have traveled to through the portal.



 
Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown ™ has you searching for equipment and traces of the missing geologists through a variety of hidden object games. Your list appears on your PDA. You will also need to match pictures from the locations, look for mystical markings, and find hidden tablets with special devices on your PDA. Journey through a variety of locations as your story unfolds.


 

Although the boys did not show a whole lot of interest in Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown ™, I was deeply intrigued by this hidden object game. The locations are artfully done, with gorgeous scenery, and wonderfully blended objects! The variety of types of hidden object games, along with the seamless integration of the mini-games made this a wonderfully relaxing computer game. 



16 October, 2008

Peggle Nights






The Peggle Masters are back in Peggle Nights! Arriving at the Peggle Institute at night, we get a chance to peek in on the Peggle Masters as they sleep, and become part of their dreams. Peggle Nights takes you into the surreal visions of each Peggle Master, but with classic Peggle abilities and familiarity. If you are not familiar with Peggle, we would describe it as "Pinball with flair"!


In
Peggle Nights we go off to fight crime with Master Bjorn, find your own mad scientist while rocking with extra balls, discover your inner artist admiring the teachers artwork, while the spooky ball bounces across the screen a second time, and much more. As you clear the last orange peg, or brick, revel in your accomplishment as glorious, triumphant music pours from your speakers. Peggle Nights gives you all the features you remember from Peggle Deluxe. Choose Adventure mode to get the whole story. Just have time for a Quick Play? Choose your favorite level. Do you want to challenge a friend, sibling, or your parents to a Duel? Pick your round, and see who gets the most points! Peggle Nights even gives you extra Challenges when your classes are over!


 
 

It is not often that a game will have everyone in the house bouncing up and down with excitement, but Peggle Nights did just that! The kids had it downloaded to all the computers in the house within 15 minutes of finding out about it! With the cute characters, challenging boards, and the ability to save and watch replays, Peggle Deluxe has been a favorite in our house since it came to Big Fish Games this past March. I love the fact that Peggle Nights works at exact angles, so you can easily set up your shot and know where it will go. The kids have voted the ability to challenge each other to Duels as their favorite feature!

15 October, 2008

Poker for Dummies






Learn all the tips and tricks in Poker for Dummies to hold your own at the poker table. Go through step by step lesson in true "...for Dummies" style. Take the quiz to test your knowledge, and head off to the practice table where you can follow your poker coaches advice, or stick to your own wits. Poker for Dummies even lets you proudly head off to the tables on your own, without leaving the computer.


Learn proper casino etiquette and titles with Poker for Dummies. You will be ready to head off to any house when you are done. Whether you don't want to ante up at a casino table, or you just want to keep on top of your game, Poker for Dummies offers you the perfect place to play. Are you a poker newbie, and need to learn the ropes?
Poker for Dummies gives you a great environment to learn all the basic poker skills and practice them right at the table.


 
 

Poker for Dummies is a flop in my house. I guess we just aren't a poker family. You will usually find games of canasta or dominoes around here. I do think this is an excellent way to learn poker in a safe environment, or to keep in top shape for your night at the tables. Poker for Dummies offers easy to understand explanations, and quizzes at the end of each section to test the materials covered. I guess I've got all the basics of poker down; I'm just lacking the love of the game!


14 October, 2008

Season Match 2






Season Match 2 is full of beautiful colors and butterflies. January has taken over with the help of October's armies, and have brought a never ending winter to fairytale land. With April and her butterflies at your side to guide you, can you regain all the artifacts in Season Match 2? Use matches of three or more to break open all the blocks, get rid of the guard, and release the artifacts. Gain special bonuses with the artifacts that you release.



In between match three levels, Season Match 2, gives you levels of hidden objects to find. Search through levels to find all the buds and help them bloom, find all the butterflies, and find and revive the dead wood. Find pieces of a coin on these levels to earn more hints, and bonus points. Season Match 2 leads you through a wonderful story, piece by piece, giving you a reason to proceed on to the next level.


 
 

There are several game play options offered in Season Match 2.  Among other things, you can choose to play a timed, or relaxed version of the game. You can also choose to play the story, or just stop in for the mini games. Season Match 2 drew the boys in with the wonderful hidden object levels, and the beautiful butterflies. We really enjoyed matching the shadows with their flowers together. My littlest one loved finding the buds and watching them bloom into flowers with me.


13 October, 2008

Anna`s Ice Cream






You arrive at Ice Cream Island to spend your summer as usual. But this year your uncle asks you to take over the family ice cream business. Build up Anna`s Ice Cream empire from the bottom up. You have two monkeys to help you out in keeping up with your customers. Create new flavors of ice cream to serve in Anna`s Ice Cream. Upgrade the shop, and win the smiles and hearts of your customers with extra bonuses. Keep your monkeys happy with bananas and apples and more upgrades.



Your uncle has just offered you the opportunity of a lifetime in Anna`s Ice Cream. As he prepares for retirement, can you prove that you can run the family business of ice cream island? Anna`s Ice Cream is filled with fun colors, and friendly faces. Built in mini games allow you to create new flavors for your customers. New upgrades are introduced throughout the game. You can also shop for bonuses to add to your customers orders!


 
 

Anna`s Ice Cream is a fun time management game. It is full of bouncy colors, and happy faces. The moving conveyor belt adds a new twist to the standard time management games of late. The boys were intrigued by the two monkey helpers. Can you get into the swing of Anna`s Ice Cream?



12 October, 2008

Musaic Box





 Musaic Box is a musical puzzle game. Grandpa has invited you to his house for your birthday. Find the pieces of music outlines hidden throughout grandpa's house. Once you have found all the pieces for one composition, you may go to the music stand and assemble them in the correct order. After finding and assembling all of the compositions, you receive your birthday present.




Musaic Box gives you several familiar classical musical compositions to reassemble. You can click each piece to play it and figure out where it fits into the composition board. You must assemble all the parts correctly to solve the puzzle. Each instrument's part is always the same color. And the music box at the bottom allows you to play each part whenever you need to. Start and stop each music piece by clicking on or off of it.


 

I found Musaic Box to be a wonderful game; it is a fantastic puzzle game, and a great way to expose the kids to classic music in a unique way! The boys were slightly intrigued with Musaic Box, and my daughter was fascinated with the music and history that was presented in the game. This is a game that I can see being played in my house for years to come. Anyone who loves puzzles or music will find this a must have game!



11 October, 2008

Green Valley: Fun on the Farm






Green Valley: Fun on the Farm moves adorable bug characters to Uncle Billy Bug's dilapidated farm. Help them harvest the farm by matching the produce and dropping it into the crates below. Earn money from your harvests to upgrade the farm. Earn bonuses as you collect the harvests, to gather larger harvests faster, or get you out of a tough spot. Green Valley: Fun on the Farm offers cute cut scenes interspersed between levels. 


On every upgrade level you also get to go in for some sheep shearing fun to earn some extra money. How many sheep can you catch and shear as they run by? Avoid the rams though, they can really cost you! Green Valley: Fun on the Farm is a linking style match three game. A simple game with adorable characters will make you smile when you play Green Valley: Fun on the Farm. A game for everyone to have a great time with!



The boys were of course drawn in by the cute cut scenes in Green Valley: Fun on the Farm. They enjoyed looking for the longest chains of produce, and keeping an eye on when the bonuses were at full power and could be used. I thought the cut scenes were a bit cheesy, but enjoyed the linking challenges.
Over all Green Valley: Fun on the Farm is a fun, family friendly game.



10 October, 2008

Jigsaw World






A digital jigsaw puzzle game, Jigsaw World is filled with beautiful, vibrant pictures in an array of themes. Designed to please any age or level of player, you have total control over the number of pieces and difficulty of each puzzle you choose. An assortment of features will allow you to customize your puzzles to fit your personality. Get lost in the colorful scenes of Jigsaw World, and let your cares drift away.


Jigsaw World is a basic jigsaw puzzle game. It has several features to enhance your playing experience. One of my favorites is the button to hide all the middle pieces while I assemble the border. You can choose to display a small inset of the finished picture in three sizes that can be easily switched between, or display a ghost image on the puzzle board. Are you totally stuck? Just push the hint button.  Jigsaw World is a beautiful escape for a stressful day!


 
 

I was immediately drawn in by the beautiful images of Jigsaw World. One of the categories the game offers is desserts, which we were thrilled to see was filled with luscious fruit dishes! The animal categories was another of our favorites! I did not find any pictures that would not get picked to play in Jigsaw World. The boys even came over and offered to help do the puzzles, but I am a bit of a loner when it comes to my puzzle play. So as of yet, all the kids are eagerly awaiting their turn at Jigsaw World!

09 October, 2008

Neverland






Diana dreams of her youth in Neverland, or has she actually been transported back in time? Enter a world of whimsical toys, and fun vibrant colors! You must find lists of hidden objects (toys) to find your answers and find your way out of Neverland. Watch your guessing, or your way will be filled with bubbles! Don't worry, you can pop the bubbles by clicking on them, and continue easily!


Move toys over to look behind them, and you just may find bonuses hiding. In Neverland, the toys in the scene also have special requests for you to fulfill. If you can find what they want in time, they will give you a bonus. There are three types of bonuses in Neverland: the whistle makes the toys stop dancing, the pinwheel tells you when you are getting closer, and the question mark will swirl stars around an object for you! The play is varied as you enter a vortex of swirling toys and must find your list there, and at another point you must collect coins before they disappear.


 
 

We had mixed thoughts about Neverland. It started out with Diana playing an overly dramatic victim of life that almost turned us off from the game right there. But the levels of finding things and the game play itself was fantastic! I recommend finding the special requests, because that will help clear the scene, making it easier to find your list of objects, and earning hints that you may or may not want to use. Neverland is a hidden object game that the younger kids can have fun with too. I didn't see any sort of a time limit, and there are multiple items for each item on the list to find. There are no strict penalties, and the bubbles floating up the screen were actually one of the things that the boys really liked about the game.

07 October, 2008

Enigma 7






Enter the portal of the land of the seven enigmas in Enigma 7. As Joe, you must enter the portal in search of Jane, the archeologist student who disappeared into the portal. You find a map that reveals the the nature of the enigma. You must complete a series of match 3 puzzles, and collect fragments of paper that must be assembled to receive the key, and move on to the next level. Gather all the keys to unlock your way out of Enigma 7.


You may choose to play only swap piece puzzles, or slider puzzles, or a combination of both in Enigma 7. The puzzles become larger and increase in difficulty as you progress. There are 9 match three puzzles to collect fragments in each level, and 7 keys you must eventually obtain.  Enigma 7 allows you to retry at any step that you run out of time, and gives you the means to progress at any point that you are without moves.


 
 

None of us found Enigma 7 to be all that fascinating. The boys wandered away quickly, and my daughter was not far behind them. Even I turned off Enigma 7 after only about 30 minutes. If you want a great Match 3 game, we recommend Fishdom, or Ancient Quest of Saqqarah.



06 October, 2008

Red Cross - Emergency Response Unit






Have you ever wondered what it is like to be part of the Red Cross? In Red Cross - Emergency Response Unit you will learn the basics of what a Red Cross Emergency Response Unit provides for disaster victims. You will be in charge of directing your teams to provide much needed medical treatment, relief supplies, shelters, and more. At the same time you should help with clearing debris from roads, contact the local authorities, repair bridges, and other important extra tasks. Red Cross - Emergency Response Unit gives you a chance to decide what gets done when!


Red Cross - Emergency Response Unit gives you informational screens on why the things you are doing are helpful, and gives you a real insight into what Red Cross workers go through. In addition, when you purchase Red Cross - Emergency Response Unit
, a portion of your money is given straight to the Red Cross. As the Red cross is an international organization, most of your missions are overseas. You can choose from three levels of difficulty. The easiest one walks you through the missions step by step, making it easy for even younger children to play a game of their own.


 
 

Red Cross - Emergency Response Unit was not as interesting to my boys. Of course they are still at the stage where they avoid reading anything! They did enjoy trying to help out, and asking a lot of questions. My daughter and I were both fascinated by reading about the Red Cross. We learned more details than we have ever been able to get before. As a portion of the purchase of Red Cross - Emergency Response Unit goes directly to the Red Cross, this game would be a great way to give a little and get a lot!

05 October, 2008

Zoo Vet 2: Endangered Animals






Zoo Vet 2: Endangered Animals gives you the chance to step into a veterinarians shoes for a while. Learn to examine and treat the endangered animals at the zoo. Pick up interesting facts about the animals as you play. Zoo Vet 2: Endangered Animals lets you choose to play in the easy or normal mode. In the easy mode, it literally tells you what to do on your on screen PDA. Don't forget to ask questions, and check your test results.



When you turn on Zoo Vet 2: Endangered Animals, you are given the option to play in a full screen or a windowed screen size. When I had the full screen size up, I was frustrated that all of the test results appeared to end in the middle of a sentence and I saw no way to scroll or go to the next page. In windowed screen size, everything was much smaller, but at least the scroll bar was present ont he PDA... it made Zoo Vet 2: Endangered Animals
immensely easier.


 
 

Zoo Vet 2: Endangered Animals was a game we expected to be fun, but with the initial hardships my boys quickly walked off. I could see how this game might be something that they could take an interest in at some point, but we enjoy studying natural habitats and diets to conventional medical treatments for now. My daughter did not really get into the game, except to discuss whether her pictures she did on endangered animals last year really were better than the computer graphics of them... the answer: a resounding yes!