Ease of Use:  

We really like the interface in Aqua Real 2. Simply right-clicking anywhere on the screen will bring up a small menu with options for tickling, feeding and summoning the resident shark in each scene.

The setup menu is straight forward and easy to use, with options for customizing visuals and sound. Aqua Real 2 also has the ability to work in fullscreen and windowed mode, but one of our favorites is the option to use it as an active desktop. This means the program runs as a wallpaper behind all your icons and other windows.

Feature Set:  

Aqua Real 2 has a lot of features that make it more than just a screensaver. You can interact with the fish by feeding them and touching them with a hand icon. The fish react accordingly, and they will even react to the presence of aggressive species of fish swimming nearby. With fullscreen and windowed modes, you can interact with them for as long as you want

This program comes with 26 different types of fish to choose from and can have a total of 48 fish onscreen at once. The backgrounds seem large enough that they can hold a lot more fish than other programs can without looking crowded. There are only three backgrounds to choose from, which disappointed us a little until we found out that the manufacturer offers free downloads of two more backgrounds and three more fish species on the Aqua Real 2 website.

Our favorite feature by far has to be the music playback function. This is fairly new in the world of aquarium screensavers, but we like it because it allows you to create a playlist of your own music so you can create whatever mood you like while the program runs.

Ease of Installation:  

Installation is quick, easy and all but automatic. We did have a problem with the active desktop function at first, but it was quickly resolved after reinstalling the program.

Help/Support:  

Formosoft International Inc. has a dedicated email support team that was able to answer all our questions within 24 hours. Other information is available through FAQs, user forums, user manuals and updates.

Fish:  

You can definitely see a difference between the look of fish in Aqua Real 2 and many of the programs located farther down our list. The fish look very life-like, and their behaviors are very realistic. The fish scatter when the shark swims by, and you can even watch some fish antagonize others because they have more aggression and territorial manners in real life. The realistic fish are what really make this program so great.

Scenery:  

The scenery in Aqua Real 2 is very realistic, with coral, plants and anemones that sway with the current. We really liked the way the backgrounds seemed to have a lot of depth. This gave the fish more room to swim and made it feel more like you are truly in the ocean instead of in a fish tank.

We did have one major problem with the scenery though. In two scenes there are animated anemones that provide cover for the clownfish and anemonefish. The anemones sway realistically in the currents and when pushed aside by fish, but they still look so fake that they were a major distraction. They looked like they belonged in a cheap video game rather than in this beautiful setting. We hope that the manufacturer can come up with a way to render the anemones better or make them look more realistic in future versions.

Summary:  

Aqua Real 2 is completely deserving of the top spot in our review because of the realistic fish, beautiful backgrounds and simple user interface. This program is the one that gives you the most for your money.