Build your own Zoo in Zooloretto

We haven’t met a kid yet who doesn’t love going to the zoo. It’s fun seeing the wide variety of animals that you can see at a zoo.

So what could be better than a family board game where kids get to build and manage their own zoo!

In Zooloretto, players collect sets of animals and place them in their zoo to score points. The player who does the best job managing the animals in their zoo will be crowned the king of the zoos.

(Ok, so there really isn’t a “king of the zoos” designation for the winner – but it would be a pretty cool addition.)

See how to play and what Brooke thinks of the game in her video review of Zooloretto.

Can the whole family enjoy Zooloretto?

Zooloretto won the Game of the Year (Spiel des Jahres) award in 2007 for a reason – because it’s a great family board game.

It has a fantastic theme, great components and artwork, a good balance of luck and strategy, and engaging game play.

Even though players are competing to build the best zoo, it isn’t a cut-throat competition. It’s a nice light, family game that parents and kids can enjoy together.

While the very young in your family may not be able to grasp the strategy of Zooloretto, when they see the cute animals, they’ll want to join in the fun too.

As kids begin to understand some light strategy, they’ll begin to enjoy the game even more. The recommended age for Zooloretto is 8+, but we think you could start kids on it a bit younger than that.

As Brooke showed in her video review, the game has a handful of choices to make. While there are just a few things a player can do on a turn, judging when to do which action and where to place tiles is important to doing well in the game.

And we think that’s a sign of a great game for kids to develop their strategic thinking – simple choices that can be strung together to reach their goal.

 

Good balance of luck and strategy

Great family board games have a good balance of luck and strategy. And Zooloretto has that perfect mix.

The luck in the game stems from the tile draws. Players never know what they’ll draw from the bag and that keeps the game interesting. They may be hoping to collect more zebras, but just can’t seem to draw one on their turn. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t still get a zebra.

Because players place their drawn tile onto a delivery truck rather than straight into their zoo, that means they can place it onto a truck that someone else will end up taking. It also means that when another player draws and places a zebra onto a truck, the player who wants zebras, can then take the truck with the zebra on it to deliver to their zoo.

This method of getting animals to a player’s zoo, also brings up another point of game balance.

All players can see each other’s zoos and will know what animals they’re trying to collect. With that information, the choices of which truck to place an animal tile on and when to take a truck add strategic weight to the game.

Even though everyone is building their own zoo, one player’s choice will definitely affect the other players.

I may have my eye on a truck with two elephants, but before I can take it on my turn, another player could place a flamingo in the third spot on the truck – an animal I may not want because I might have to place in my barn if I take that truck. And having animals in my barn will count against me at the end of the game.

Those are the strategic choices that make the game interesting every time – for both young and old alike.

 

How does Zooloretto score on our “Let’s Play Again” game meter?

Zooloretto scores well on our “let’s play again” game meter. As Brooke mentions in her video review, the cute animals are a big draw for her.

Since the game lasts 30 to 45 minutes, it’s not a game that we’ll play back-to-back multiple times. But it is a game with a prominent spot on our game shelf to easily pull out for frequent play.

So if you have zoo-loving kids in your family, Zooloretto would be a great game to add to your game library.

The Board Game Family Game Ratings
	Caleb
	Brooke
	Jaden
Has not played	Trevor
	Mom
	Dad
	Average