Wild Earth: African Safari isn't necessarily a game in the standard sense. There is no scoring of pictures, no items to pick up, no upgrades to purchase; it's all about getting enough pictures for your article. While the pictures themselves might not be scored, you will be told upon taking the snapshot if you need to zoom in/out some or reposition yourself so you actually get the shot. So while you won't be told your score, there is obviously some scoring going on - you just aren't given a hard number on it.
The levels are vast, and the only real way to make your way to each objective point is to use the Objective Finder which basically gives you a direction to go for your next required objective. The objectives themselves range from required ones like pictures of elephant cows and their calves to optional ones like warthogs wallowing in mud. While not all of the optional objectives are required to finish the level, you have a certain number of pictures that you have to save off in order to consider the assignment complete, so you will have to keep your eyes open and look around, especially at the list of objectives that appears on the top-left side of the screen.
I've heard a few complaints about the game, one being that you can't always find the objective and get the picture you need. The only time I found this to be an issue was for the occasional optional one. The required pictures seem to be fairly obvious, and as long as you get enough optional ones, it doesn't matter if you miss a few; again, no score means no consequences to not getting everything. Heck, there isn't even a list somewhere of objectives you've completed and ones you haven't.
While the main mode of the game, the assignments, aren't altogether fun, per se, I did enjoy the experience and it accomplishes what it set out to do. If you are looking to spend time with your friends on the game, there are two options. One is to go into an assignment and have one person control a vehicle while the other handles the camera, or you can go into the Safari Arcade Games mode where you can play various games inspired by the animals you see in your adventure. These games include flying a vulture through gold rings, racing an ostrich over rocky terrain or performing a DDR-style dance with a flamingo. There are 11 mini-games in all, one for each assignment.
