The ‘z’ at the end of Dogz had us hoping for a gritty, urban canine simulation where you train up pitbulls and accessorise them with choke-chains.
Unsurprisingly, this kid-friendly game is actually far more run of the puppy mill, thanks to a sugar-coated combination of cuteness and care.
The game of Dogz starts by you adopting one of three puppies, a Jack Russell, Labrador or Shiba Inu, in a choice of colours.
A step-by-step tutorial introduces the ways you can interact with your dog, putting out water or food when the screen tells you he’s thirsty or hungry, and encouraging you to pet and play with him.
The tasks gradually become more complicated, with the game introducing washing the vets and other puppies. House-proud gamers will be pleased to hear that these Dogz automatically clean up their own pooh.
The controls are fairly easy and the 3D environment is well drawn, although the game often feels frustratingly limited. You can’t interact with many of the tables or chairs on screen, and the collision detection is either over-eager (so you can’t put bowls of food down) or non-existent (allowing pups to simply slide through one another).
The various digging, throwing and tug of war games soon lose their appeal, in part because the Dogz’s behaviour is fairly mechanical. Sound effects are basic and mini-games let you take your dog for a swim or race, although again the action is repetitive and uninspiring.
Small children will certainly enjoy petting and caring for their puppy but the combination of awkward controls and limited variety limits the long-term appeal of this otherwise good-looking sim. Sadly, this Dogz is just for Christmas, and not for life.
Details
Price: £4
Rating: 3+
Size: 1MB
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