Start off by choosing which habitat visit-Rainforest, Arctic, Grasslands, Ocean or Woodlands. Then, using the Nintendo DS stylus, play the five different games involving creatures from each territory. If you choose the rainforest, for instance, you may be playing to win the monkey or an elephant! In the arctic, maybe the polar bear! The ocean? A dolphin or whale! Ultimately, the goal playing the games and taking quizzes is to unlock enough animals to fill the empty diagram of five habitats.

Among the mini-games, Maze Munch is the gamiest--like Darwin's version of PacMan, it's an eat-or-be-eaten maze that gets harder with each win. Scratch 'N' See is like visiting a foggy zoo-scratch off the fogginess to identify the hidden animal (each turn reveals less and less of the animal you need to identify). Matchomatic challenges you to match up animal fur, sounds and other identifying features with the critters. Eventually, after you prove your animal-knowledge worthiness, you can demonstrate it playing the Animal Expert segment.

What's nice about this game besides the clear-cut educational value are the detailed photos and illustrations that will have you wishing they were on bigger screens than the Nintendo DS's. But don't buy this for any kid older than nine or so, because the first time the older kid is quizzed about whether a lizard has feathers or whether raccoons can fly, he'll push the off button and go play Halo. For younger children, this game is a fast-moving, challenging and fun way to learn about the animal kingdom.