Sea Monsters: A Prehistoic Adventure
The back of the box reads as follows,
"In the Earth's oceans millions of years ago, danger lurked in every shadow.
Experience this astounding world by playing as one of six different prehistoric reptiles,
each with special skills—from extreme speed to thick armor to powerful crunching jaws.
Start your adventure in an area of inland sea that only gets more dangerous as time passes.
Take on foes, hunt for prey, and unlock hidden challenges.
Your goal is to find a way to truly escape these treacherous waters."
First off - I object to the term "monsters".
They were incredible creatures inhabiting the early Triassic and Cretaceous seas.
There are six to find in this game, I can only name four: Thalassomedon, sometimes spelled Thallasomedon,
Tylosaur, Henodus and, Nothosaurus.
The variety of creatures is good, they range from 40 feet long to big turtle-size and each one has
special survival skills and adaptions.
Players start off with the Thalassomedon, a 40 foot long necked, hard to navigate creature.
The game involves controlling them, from behind, directing them to food, making sure they
have enough oxygen and avoiding predators.
To unlock additional "monsters" players have to find fossils.
Seas at that time were not the sparkling turquoise of Bermuda travel brochures
but sort of a murky green - hard to see far ahead.
The game is meant to be educational and I can understand why the fighting is highlighted - this
is a game of course.
It still lacks something - but I commend it's intent.
However, I found it more satisfying and informative visiting the National Geographic
section of
"Monster of the Ancient Sea" (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2005/12/sea-monsters/sea-monsters-interactive)
where there is a good demo showing the size of these creatures compared to a human figure. WOW!
Reviewed by: Editor - 04/09
Ages: Everyone +10
Fun Factor: Game need to be more compelling at the start to get kids engaged in the work of tending these creatures.
Female Factor: Who could tell?
Player Friendly: A good idea visiting the underwater prehistoric eras. Game saved each time a new fossil is collected.