by Adrienne Brunner

Created on: November 01, 2008   Last Updated: May 26, 2011

Fishco

4.5/5

Fishco is a fun new game that mixes time management skills, fun graphics and music along with a player's ability to run a business in an exciting way. The game play, rewards and graphics are all outstanding, and will engage nearly anyone in serious addictive play for hours.

The game begins with a tutorial that is well done, and self-guided and self-timed, meaning the player can move as quickly as he or she wants to, and the tutorial may be skipped altogether. Each time a new type of play is introduced, such as cleaning the tank or breeding, the tutorial offers a guide through the initial steps, but quickly turns it over to the player for decision-making, so the player does not become annoyed by how long the tutorial lasts.

A simple tank set up and intuitive controls make this game fun, easy and quick to grasp, but it does progressively become more difficult, giving gamers of any skill level a challenge. The choices of fish and plants change quickly so the player does not become bored and it also increases the challenge by having more fish available. The player must learn how to keep the tank clean, clean the water, feed, breed and sell the fish, and other things must be done to sell the fish for an optimal price.

The music is fun and goes well with the game, but it can be adjusted to a player's desired sound level. The sound effects are also fun, insuring that children of all ages will enjoy making the fish "kiss" during the breeding process, and the sounds made when a fish sells alerts the player that more money has been made. It is a quick-advancing game, which allows the player to quickly move through levels, and at the end of each level, the player receives new fish or rewards based on how quickly he or she finished the level.

Graphics are also fun. The plants appear lifelike, and the fish are brightly colored, and their swimming motions appear realistic, with swishing tails and darting for food. Overall, the bright colors, clear graphics and cute fish draw in serious gamers as well as children.

The creativity of the game includes new challenges along the way, such as earning extra tanks, which means the player must learn how to move fish. There are also challenges with keeping more aggressive fish away from smaller fish. The innovative parts of the game include being able to feed medicine to the fish, as well as needing to keep track of how happy they are, what kinds of foods each fish eats, and when to sell them. The levels can be replayed to achieve a better score. The game has many levels, which do become more and more difficult to complete in the time period with all the new challenges a player faces. This game is a must-have, and receives a solid 4.5/5, making it a great addition to any gamers' library.

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