System Requirements

OS: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 CPU: 233mhz AMD/Intel processor RAM: 64 MB HDD: 30 MB VIDEO: DirectX compatible 3D graphics card SOUND: DirectX compatible sound card Ages: 7+

I have not seen Jurassic Park 3 but I have seen the first two. You would think they would learn by now, not to play with dinosaurs. Anyways, on with the game. This is basically a computerized board game. You can play against the computer or with a friend. You get different keyboard commands for each player. You need to save a dinosaur species by collecting four units of it\'s DNA. This is no easy chore, there are many stumbling blocks along the way.

You get to roll for your turn like most board games. There are also mystery cards, some have good fates, while others are not so pleasant. You are both driving cars so you can get flat tires, stuck in quick sand, mud, or dino doo doo. Your car can even get crushed by a T-Rex. In either case you can and will lose turns. These can be prevented though! You can land at supply stores and buy one item at a time, choose wisely. Some useful items can get you out of tough situations.

There are many side quests in this game. You can do velociraptor battles. The stakes are high: you can play for points or for your opponent's DNA. You will also have to dart your chosen dinosaur to get it's DNA. Other times you have to help contain dinosaurs and not let them escape. Many quests require teamwork. One quest has you and your partner put a fence together. The other quest requires you both to keep the dinos between your cars and not let them slip through. I think that it's good to have the opponents work together, they are all on the same side after all. There are many learning quests in this game too. There are some matching quests. One has you match similar fossils together. Another has you match the dinosaur with it\'s characteristics or different pictures. There is also a quest similar to Simon Says, except if you mess up the pattern, you get attacked. No pressure. If you do get hurt, you go to first aid and either pay 50 points or roll a 6 to play again. You don\'t die. :)

From a Christian standpoint, there are some 'simulated' dinosaur battles. No blood. You have to understand that these dinosaurs are not purple and cuddly.

The game was easy to install. The interface was pretty easy. You had to use a combination of the keyboard and mouse to get around. My only complaint is the velociraptor battle is pretty tough control wise. The graphics were good, it has some nicely detailed dinosaur models. The game ran pretty stable, no hang ups. The computer AI is pretty good. Sometimes they let you win, other times, you lose pretty bad. The music and sound effects were decent, definitely targeted towards kids. They had some nifty jingles.

Over all, this is a cute game. I would highly recommend it. Not only is it fun, but your kids can learn about dinosaurs and enhance their memory skills.