Dolphins have seldom been subject matter for games in recent years with only one real game series, starring a particular porpoise named Ecco, managing to capture the true essence of how to successfully create such a game. This hiatus at last seems set to change as we have Endless Ocean on the way as well as this curious title, Dolphin Island, which uses dolphins and other aquatic creatures as it's subject in a very different way indeed.

In fact it's open to debate as to whether this actually qualifies as an actual game or just another piece of learning software alla Brain Training. While it is questionable if this will be able to compete with such a title in terms of quality, it's undeniable that Dolphin Island has an emphasis on educating rather than entertaining.

This educational emphasis seems evident from the premise; As a young boy or girl, you're sent to work into your Uncle's Marine Zoo as a summer job. The park is located on a tropical island but the place is in danger as a multi-national real estate company plans to wipe the park off the map to construct a luxury hotel. To save the zoo, the player will have to take care of the animals, tame them for the entertaining shows and manage the whole park. He will learn mission by mission to love, tame, respect and understand the animals and the local ecosystem in order to save them all. Dolphin Island is a game that will teach children/players how to respect animals and nature.

Indeed... touted features of this “game” include exploration of an island limited to panning a camera around a 3D map where you get to attend attractions, care for creatures, eradicate evil and inherit information along the way. Available aquatic animals aside from dolphins include sharks, killer whales, turtles, pelicans, manta rays and others amounting to over thirty different species. The main feature here, with this being on the DS, is the ability to interact with and train the various animals in your care which may provide some entertainment assuming it's as intuitive as Nintendogs but that remains to be seen.

Ultimately this is a game aimed at a younger audience and to that end it looks set to serve its purpose. With a wealth of things to see and do it may prove successful as it has many elements, such as the collecting counterpart, which will appeal to kids and should have at least a little longevity thanks to trading via Nintendo Wi-fi connection. Whether or not the core game elements will hold up is another matter but this could turn out to be a reasonable title just as long as it has enough balance between playing and learning to avoid being branded yet another loathed piece of “Edutainment” software.

Stick with N-E in the coming week for a full review of this aquatic adventure.