"Endless Ocean" encourages you to explore the deep

Earlier this week, my mom sent me my third-grade science report on jellyfish. Among the many fun facts was this gem: "Even though you can see them, the jellyfish can't see you, only your shadow."

I remember puzzling over that idea for weeks, being deeply fascinated by these alien sea creatures that had no way to see me. As a kind of homage, I created an elaborate construction-paper cover for the report, complete with strips of dangling paper tentacles. (Hey, that was cutting-edge technology at the time.)

How funny that the report arrived at the same time I was playing "Endless Ocean," an underwater exploring game for the Wii ($30, rated E for Everyone). I would have loved "Ocean" as a child. In fact, it would have knocked my little-kid socks off.

A visually stunning exploration of an undersea world called Manoa Lai Sea, "Ocean" transforms a living-room TV into a hidden world of false killer whales and pyramid butterflyfish.

"Ocean" isn't for very young children. With no spoken dialogue, players must scroll through pages of written conversation and instructions. My best guess is that this game is appropriate for age 8 and up, depending on the child's reading level. But for kids interested in the natural world who are able to read brief encyclopedia entries, it would be hard to imagine a better or more edifying game.

Each fish has a listing that expands as you get to know it better, so a simple listing for an emperor angelfish (aka Pomacanthus imperator) starts with the basics ("Length: Roughly 16 inches"). In later entries, you learn about the spot patterns of juveniles vs. the adult fish. It's marine education in a very pretty package.

If reading encyclopedia entries about fish sounds tedious, consider the game's graphics. You cast your character off from the boat and into the water, replicating scuba diving in the most accurate way the Wii can provide. You're given a compass and a map, but the open-ended nature of the game lets you roam free, swimming and swirling in all directions.

You discover hidden underwater caves, where the light streaks in through breaks in the coral. Following a strange noise, you come to a little lagoon that holds a West Indian manatee. These moments are small, delightful revelations.

A zoom option lets you get close to the coral reefs to observe, just as in real-life diving. Unlike in real life, a helper dolphin also points out lost treasure nearby.

It's a lovely world down there (made even more so by our own dark Seattle winter). The game gives you missions to do, but you can also ignore them.

The game is so calming, it almost lulls you to sleep, so it goes without saying that it's completely nonviolent. The only thing that could have made me feel violent was the Enya-ish New Age soundtrack, which I muted after the first 30 minutes (you have the option to upload your own MP3 tracks).

"Ocean" has true faults, of course. I gave the game to my friendly neighborhood marine biologist, and she found errors in the biological data ("No humpback wrasse is 7 feet long!"). She also disliked the game's encouragement of bad behavior, like the underwater pen feature that appears to let you spray-paint an underwater reef.

Don't even get her started about how the game encourages you to befriend a wild dolphin. (Very little annoys marine biologists as much as the idea of wild dolphins used for interactive human entertainment.)

But in a game where you make nice with a shark by petting it, let's hope parents have some common sense. Let's assume they'll explain the difference between good, real-world practices and the behavior "Ocean" encourages.

It's worth saying that we were both completely entranced when a humpback whale appeared above our digital diver. By allowing us to be a whale rider — or at least to swim alongside the giant beast — "Ocean" earns its keep as an innovative new type of game, where peaceful tranquillity is the goal.

Like "Animal Crossing" and other similar Nintendo games without a real end, "Ocean" offers a low-pressure, serene sphere where the only point is to explore. And what on Earth is wrong with that?

Jennifer Buckendorff is a frequent contributor to The Seattle Times.