Sim Aquarium Reviewer's Comments
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Sim Aquarium 2, from Digital Illusions Software, will give you an amazing aquatic experience while you stay dry in your home or office. It is a real visual treat, which is part of the reason we gave it our "TopTenREVIEWS Bronze Award."
This software package includes four different coral reef tanks with vibrant, colorful plants, coral, rocks and crystal blue water. In fact, the backgrounds are the best part of the program; they are so completely realistic that you almost want to take the fish out because they get in the way. There are five different backgrounds to choose from.
This program comes with 41 different species of realistic virtual fish and other water-dwelling creatures, like clams, although you can only have 12 fish in the tank at one time. Limitations like these, along with fish behaviors that are slightly less realistic than other programs kept Sim Aquarium 2 from reaching Gold or Silver rankings.
Sim Aquarium Screenshots. Click to Enlarge
Ease of Use:
Easily launch your Sim Aquarium from your desktop or use it as an amusing substitute to your usual screensaver. This program has quick keys once the program is running, so you can conveniently change tanks and make other alterations on the fly, like light levels and wave speed.
You can also turn off the "exit on mouse" setting so a slight wiggle of the mouse won't accidentally shut down your aquarium screensaver.
Feature Set:
Digital Illusion Software brings a tropical underwater experience into your home or office. Choose from 41 different species of fish to occupy your computer monitor, all with realistic appearances. Water movement, small pieces of debris floating in the water and sunrays add to the ambience.
The entire environment including the fish, coral and plant life appear to scale and flow with the subtle water movement. The variety of fish is nice, but we found it frustrating that we were limited to twelve fish onscreen. Another feature lacking in Sim Aquarium 2 is the ability to feed or interact with the fish, something we really enjoyed in our top two programs. We also miss the ability to play music while we watch the fish.
Ease of Installation:
We didn't have any difficulties installing Sim AQUARIUM.
Help/Support:
Digital Illusions Software responded to our email within 48 hours and provided useful information. Their website also has a FAQs page and detailed instructions on how to download and install their product.
You can even click a link to a fan site and view questions on a forum and chat with other virtual aquarium customers.
Fish:
You can choose up to 12 fish to put in your Sim Aquarium or the program will randomly select fish for you. Each fish looks authentic with lively colors and random movements and swim patterns. But we didn't see the same kind of life-like spontaneity and interaction that we saw in other programs. The fish often swim from one edge of the screen to another without deviating or even acknowledging other fish that nearly run into them. On the plus side, these fish also have dimension and don't appear to be cutouts. They look great, if not quite as good as the fish in Aqua Real 2.
Scenery:
The scenery in Sim Aquarium 2 is the best part of the program. Each reef has true-to-life plants that sway with the current and appear to part of the environment and not just a foreign object. Sunrays illuminate the brilliant colors of the coral to create a warm ambience and an almost mystical feel. The scenery, in many ways, actually outshine the fish in this program.
Summary:
Sim Aquarium is the one of the best virtual aquarium programs on the market with incredible backgrounds, but the lack of interactivity, both with the user and with other fish, make it less fun than some other screensavers.
©2008 TopTenREVIEWS, Inc.
