Virtual Villagers 2. Uninhabited Side Of Isola

• Pros: real-time game, a number of challenging features, addictive gameplay.          
  

• Cons: mouse scroll required to zoom in and out, low speed of screen motion.

Once upon a time, a group of people found themselves on an isolated island. They learned to endure in harsh conditions; they created their own world, their First Home. One day, two fearless villagers found a mysterious cave which had never been explored. They stepped forward only to fall on the slippery rocks and get carried downward by a steep waterfall. Luckily, they landed in a pool of crystal-clear water. To their great surprise, they found dirty, hungry-looking children alone on the west side of Isola Island. Scared and low on food, the children needed help to survive.

Doesn’t that story sound familiar to you? That’s right! Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children is the exciting sequel to Virtual Villagers: A New Home. Those who played the first game are well aware of the game’s mechanics. It is a very engaging and enjoyable simulation game. While there are some new features, very little was changed in the sequel. However, this is not a shortcoming, since the concept of these games is quite original and distinctive.

For those who are not acquainted with the first part, a few main points about Virtual Villagers: A New Home should be mentioned. The management is as clear and easy as drag-and-drop. To control and interact with your charges, one can simply drag them to the appropriate areas. Need to teach someone how to fish? Just drag him into the ocean. If the attempt was successful, he will bring fish to the food bin. It can take a few tries before the villagers succeed at the varying skills needed to thrive on the island, but once they learn a skill, they can perform the task on their own.

Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children works in the same fashion. The villagers desperately need your guidance to survive and thrive on the island of Isola. Teach them survival skills and help them solve 16 puzzles on the island. This time, the following skills are available for the tribe: farming, building, research, healing and parenting. Carefully distribute work among them according to their likes and dislikes to keep the villagers thriving.

One of the most unique and intriguing things about this game is that the villagers live in real time. They can be left alone any time you are sure they are going along alright. Also, keep in mind that this game cannot be played in just one day or night. Therefore, it may not suit those who lack patience or want to see immediate gaming results. But, generally it is quite intriguing to turn on the computer and see how the villagers are doing. Just be sure to check them once a day or every other day. However, in the options menu, the speed of life can be slowed or even paused, which can be helpful if checking this often is not possible.

There are six main screens in Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children. The Main screen shows the island and the villagers, and you can zoom out to see the entire village. The Villagers Detail screen depicts important villager information like age, health, skill level, likes and dislikes. The Technologies screen helps to guide the villagers’ research. When the villagers have enough tech points, the Technologies screen allows one to use them to improve life on the island. The Puzzles and Milestones screen shows how many mysteries are left uncovered on the island. Lastly, the Collection screen depicts all collected items.

Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children does have some new features, as previously mentioned. First of all, it has a new set of puzzles to uncover. Secondly, children resemble their parents. In this game, villagers collect not only mushrooms, but also butterflies, shells, pebbles and beetles. These collections are optional and are not the main goal of the game, but still a shell, a pebble or any other item collected more than once earns tech points. Also, now the villagers’ clothing can be changed as the game progresses. But basically, this second Virtual Villagers game is a mere continuation with some new features and a more refined look than the first one.

On the downside, a mouse scroll is required to zoom the view in and out.  Also, sometimes the screen moves too slowly, causing some pebbles or butterflies to be lost when trying to drag children along the way.

The bottom line is that those who are real fans of Virtual Villagers will undoubtedly like this sequel. It is an incredibly entertaining and rewarding pass-time. Be careful, or you may get addicted to virtual life!