Bring on the dinosaurs
If you have a young dinosaur fan in the family, then this makes for the perfect (if probably somewhat outdated, given recent developments in dinosaur research) little game to keep them quiet. It's kind of mix between a board game and a detective story where players have to find the dinosaurs that have suddenly appeared in their town (thanks to a malfunctioning time machine) and return them to their proper period in history. You only have limited time to track them all down, with the gameplay requiring you to travel around town, searching for clues. Three facts are required about each dinosaur, but you also have to worry about cash and food for yourself as this dinosaur hunting doesn't come cheap or easy. You have to plan your trips carefully, making sure you don't run out of food or money, with cash required for bus and taxi journeys and with more available by successfully answering trivia questions. Return of the Dinosaur makes for a decent edutainment title, although it's perhaps not quite in the same league as Headline Harry or Cross Country Canada. The basic notion is certainly enjoyable and tracking down the dinos is both fun and challenging. However, the game's interface is pretty clunky and awkward, giving rise to occasional moments of frustration, and which is not helped by the often illogical clues, while the graphics are perhaps a bit too old-school to be taken seriously. Despite these niggles though, Return of the Dinosaurs makes for an entertaining board game-style experience and is certainly worth checking out.
