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For Immediate Release, April 30, 2008
Contact: Kelly Lessard (952) 431-9217
Apple Valley, MN – April 30, 2008: The Minnesota Zoo and St. Paul-based eduweb, an award-winning developer of digital learning games, are excited to announce the release of WolfQuest Amethyst Mountain Deluxe, an expansion to WolfQuest Amethyst Mountain. WolfQuest is an immersive, 3D wildlife simulation computer game with single player and multiplayer versions. The game is available as a free download for Macintosh and Windows computers at wolfquest.org.
WolfQuest players take on the role of a wolf living in Yellowstone National Park. Through trial and error, instinct and experience, players learn to maximize both individual and pack survival. Each player discovers how to compete or cooperate, challenge or submit, and defend or attack during complex interactions with other wolves both within and outside their own pack.
In the Amethyst Mountain Deluxe single player version, players play a two-year old gray wolf born in the
Northern Range of Yellowstone National Park that has left its natal (birth) pack in search of a mate. In the
multiplayer version, up to five players can make a pack to hunt and wander in Yellowstone National Park.
Players can encounter elk, coyotes, hares, other wolves and now Grizzly bears in WolfQuest Amethyst
Mountain Deluxe.
New components of WolfQuest Amethyst Mountain Deluxe:
- Grizzly Bears: Beware of grizzly bears that can take control of carcasses and leave the player (wolf)
hungry. Grizzly bears are included in both the single player and the multiplayer versions.
- Pack Rally: In the multiplayer version, players can start a pack rally with a howl. A successful rally
results in increased strength for all the pack members.
- Hunt with Mate: Once the player has completed the mission to find a mate in the single version,
he/she can explore the landscape and hunt with a mate.
Since its launch last December, WolfQuest has been downloaded over 157,000 times; over 55% of all downloads were by 10-19 year olds. The game has also attracted worldwide attention: players from 224 countries downloaded the game with just over half of all players from the United States. The WolfQuest Community forum is made up of more than 6,500 registered users that have posted over 154,000 posts.
The Minnesota Zoo leads a national network of zoos and science education centers including the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota, Yellowstone National Park, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C. and the Phoenix Zoo in Arizona. The WolfQuest experience goes beyond the game with an active on-line community where players can discuss the game, chat with wolf biologists, and share artwork and stories about wolves. WolfQuest was made possible through a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) of more than a half-million dollars, with local support provided by Best Buy Children’s Foundation.
The Minnesota Zoo, located in Apple Valley, is open 363 days per year and located just south of the Mall of America. Located on 500 beautiful acres, the Zoo is home to more than 2,300 animals representing nearly 450 species from around the world. For more information, call the Zoo’s information line at 952.431.9500
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