Catz (PC)
© 2006 Ubisoft, Inc.
This kitten simulator isn't bad, but it also isn't great. In the game, you start by adopting a kitten from a set of realistic breeds, and teach it tricks to earn money used to buy toys, food, brushes and so on. A few important program notes about this series: First, the word Catz as well as Dogz and Petz (all ending with a 'z') were first published by California-based P.F. Magic back in 1998 — and that's a long time before the first Nintendog or Neopet. Then, French-based video game publisher Ubisoft acquired the series (around 2001) and updated the original versions, adding a Babyz title. These original titles — the latest was Catz 4 and Dogz 4 — where and continue to be outstanding play experiences, and are still for sale. Secondly, this new wave of animal sims comes in three platforms, each made by different studios, and features and quality vary. We've done our best to capture each platform by way of individual reviews. Unfortunately, this new PC version of Catz (as well as the new Dogz) is missing the magic that that made so many people fall in love with the older versions. While the kittens certainly look better than their pixelated ancestors, and the new voice command feature is nice, these kittens aren't nearly as smart and they don't do nearly as much. Kids take note of these things. For example, this series gives you just one animal to play with rather than two or more, and they no longer have babies. There's a clumsy close-up mode that is used when you pet your kitten or give it a treat, but it requires that you use an on-screen icon to zoom back out. Finally, while there are five interesting areas to explore, you can't freely interact with the items, say, by dragging items out of the refrigerator in the kitchen for a midnight pet snack. Instead, this new Catz is more of a clean economic simulation, where you win money by teaching your kitten tricks, and enter it in pet shows. Your money is used to purchase new toys, food, water and booties, which increases the educational value of this experience. As a business simulator, the game is a good first brush with budgets, by confronting children with questions like "should I buy the generic brush for $20, or the platinum one for $200?". The entire experience is much less creative, both on the part of the child and the publisher. The PC version was difficult to install on two out of three of our test machines, crashing just after the first introduction screens. The bottom line? This is a mid-quality animal simulation that isn't bad, but could be much better.
$20, Windows XP*, Nintendo DS*, Game Boy Advance
Teaches: economics, caring for animals
CTR Rating: 80%