Pet Vet 3D: Animal Hospital Down Under

Pet Vet has moved Down Under, and is ready to take on Australia’s wildlife. Wombats, kangaroos, koalas and even dolphins are just some of the animals the veterinarian will see in her practice. As she diagnoses and treats the animals, her practice will grow into a thriving business. And, young gamers will learn a thing or two along the way!

There are lots and lots of pet care simulations on the market, with the main series being Pet Vet 3D (Viva Media), Paws and Claws Pet Vet (ValueSoft) and Zoo Vet (Legacy Interactive). While the main premise of each series is the same, diagnose and treat sick animals, there are differences, too. In Pet Vet 3D, the emphasis isn’t on so much on undertaking realistic animal care and treatment, as on learning about the animals, their diseases and health issues and the proper treatments. Children will read several “books” about each animal, in order to gain needed information for future diagnoses. Children will also be able to feed, pet and play with their animals.

There are two modes to play to choose from, free play and scenarios. There is a good tutorial which will show the basic game controls and the menu items, but there are a few confusing issues with the tutorial. The instructional window obscures the top of the action menus, which can be confusing at first. For instance, I couldn’t find the wombat button I was supposed to click on in the beginning of the tutorial, and it was only when I passed the mouse over the informational window, which then became transparent, that I saw the button. There are also a few mismatched terms in the instructions. However, these are just minor issues.

Various scenarios are available in the mission mode, which offers a main storyline that ties all the scenarios together. At first, the vet will choose an initial type of animal patient for her new practice. Soon, clients will begin to arrive. Many of the patients will require a few days worth of care, so it’s lucky this vet has thought ahead and added a special enclosure just for that animal! As gamers earn money, they can purchase items for the pens, bigger pens, food and playthings for the animals. Hey, they can even doll up the vet, too, by buying cool threads, makeup and accessories. There is also furniture to be had.

As stated above, realism isn’t the goal. The exams are conducted from a top-down view, with the instruments gliding around the patients without touching them. There is no close-up interaction on the patient table. Various instruments are displayed in a menu for choosing. Each instrument use will add information to the diagnostic window, which displays the possible diagnoses. Eventually, gamers will have to choose the most likely diagnoses. If it is correct, a window pops up with a short, but informative paragraph on the reasons behind the illness/injury and the treatment for it.

Although there isn’t much hands-on in the examining room, there’s plenty of interaction outside. Kids can pet, feed and play with their patients. This, too, isn’t realistic, but it sure is fun. Kids will also be able to play with the vet by having her eat, exercise, and rest. And she will be stylish, too.

While all the animals are different from Pet Vet 3D Wild Animal Hospital, the main new feature is the addition of aquatic animals, which requires special water pens. There are seals and dolphins, which are a lot of fun. Other than that, the game is essentially the same as before.

Pet Vet 3D is the best of these pet-care simulations, but could still be improved. A more interactive examination process would be great, and having some mini-games like Zoo Vet would be fun. However, where Pet Vet rises above the crowd is the way it really involves kids in the game. There are lots of things to do with both the animals and the workers. The toys and pen items are cool. The outfits for the vet are attractive, too. The educational aspect is well-done and subtle. Requiring the kids to actually read books to gain necessary diagnostic information is a good idea. The information in the books is short and easy to read, but packs a nice amount of interesting facts. There are accompanying photos of the animals, too.

Gameplay: 7.5
The game a light type of simulation, with easy tasks and goals to accomplish. There is a good variety of things to do, which helps to keep kids playing. Besides treating the animals, the players will get to build pens, outfit them, play with the animals and accessorize the vet.

Graphics: 7.0
The graphics are fairly good, although nothing state of the art. The animals are cute and attractive, but aren’t quite as well-drawn as they appear on the game box. The humans look good and are animated well.

Sound: 7.0
The music is average and fairly upbeat.

Difficulty: Medium
It’s easy on the easy levels, but the later gameplay becomes more demanding.

Concept: 7.0
The concept is the same as in other vet simulations, but the implementation is well-executed.

Overall: 7.5
This is a nice pet-care simulation, and one which will provide a lot of entertainment for young children. It has a good variety of things to do, and also educates at the same time. However, it could use a few more features, and the price is a little steep for the type of game it is. Best for young players.