WolfQuest is a game which places players in the role of a wolf on the plains of YellowStone National Park. And running with the wolves isn’t what one would expect. The game teaches users how wolves hunt, survive, defend territory and ultimately find a mate and establish a pack.

Because kids have stopped enjoying outdoor activities like visiting zoos in favor of video games and other indoor pastimes, the game seeks the best of both worlds, aiming square at ages 10 to 15 in the hopes of getting kids more interested in wolf conservation and biology.

“We’re hoping to capture some of those kids back with this game,” said Grant Spickelmier, the game’s developer and assistant education director for the zoo.

Gamers can choose what species of wolf, male or female, and even customize their abilities right on down to how their coat looks. And the game does only work in a standalone, one player mode, but also sports an online social variant allowing gamers to roam in packs of up to five, which giving them the ability to hunt together and take down prey like elk and wild hare. And in a fun twist, the game offers “scent” mode where the screen goes black and white showing scent trails as lit up. And gamers can also howl by pressing the “h” key on their keyboard just for fun..

Funded by a grant of the National Science Foundation, WolfQuest was developed by the Minnesota Zoo’s Education department. The game’s first episode, “Amethyst Mountain,” is available free download at http://www.wolfquest.org. Additional episodes due laster in 2008 which will let gamers mark their territory, defend their kills against bear, raise a family of pups and even raid nearby ranches for food.

Source: Yahoo News