CK, a zoom climb is a climb where the energy for the climb is obtained by trading speed for height. It doesn't have to be steep but it does take more attention of the pilot to do compared with maintaining S&L while speed reduces. The a/c can be kept in or near trim, reducing the workload. There are fewer attitude changes needed and the a/c ends up at the glide attitude & speed with relatively few comnplications.
Exchanging speed for height has the added complication that the a/c has to be deliberately pitched NU (when it's trying to pitch ND), held against this while speed is converted to altitude, then pitched ND to achieve an attitude for Vg before stalling.
WRT to more options with height. This isn't any different to options with speed. It's all energy. Climbing only converts one to the other. If you're at more than, say 500' or 1000', there isn't really a useable difference in areas you can see & glide to. Unless there's an obstacle such as a ridge or mountain of course but then that's analogous to low level flight where a gain in height dramatically improves observational area.