Microsoft has today announced that Blue Fang Games is working on a sequel to Zoo Tycoon that's scheduled for release later this year. Zoo Tycoon 2 will once again challenge players to establish and maintain a successful zoo and will feature 30 different animals, themed buildings, foliage, animal shelters, moats, and the like. The graphics will be 3D and will represent a major improvement over the original Zoo Tycoon, thus allowing players to zoom in closer than ever before and allowing them to even walk around their zoos as a visitor in the new guest mode.

　　Campaign, free-form, and sandbox modes of play will all be included in Zoo Tycoon 2, as well as a new zookeeper mode that promises to allow players to interact with their animals as never before. Zoo Tycoon 2 will also feature a "Zoopedia" that contains entertaining and interesting facts about the animals that appear in the game.

　　"Zoo Tycoon has been a perennial top-10 game since its launch in 2001," said Adam Kovach, product manager at Microsoft Game Studios. "Zoo Tycoon 2 raises the bar for all 'Tycoon' and simulation games and is a truly revolutionary step for the franchise. Players of all ages and at all skill levels can experience and enjoy a level of detail and immersiveness that just hasn't been available in simulated zoo games before."

　　Zoo Tycoon 2 is currently scheduled for release toward the end of this year. We'll bring you more information on the game as soon as it becomes available.