Dinosaurs have always managed to excite people, especially children. DinoKids, created by Mindscape banks heavily on this attribute. DinoKids is a virtual world game for young children which abounds in both education and entertainment.
The game’s central plot revolves around Professor D, a brilliant palaeontologist who has acquired some of the most valuable and coveted fossil collections. However, this prized possession of his receives a dangerous threat when an army of Bone Monkeys break into his Paleo Park. The players’ primary task is to protect the fossils from these naughty apes. They can do so by firing canons at them. To attain advanced weapons and tools to shoot the moneys, players have to win mini games or take DinoKids quizzes.
These quizzes add heavily to the educative qualities of DinoKids. There are different difficulty levels and kids learn a lot of scientific facts from these quizzes.
The virtual world in DinoKids is very exciting and convincing. The scientific, historical and paleontological aspects of the game are regulated by the DinoMorph engine, developed in coordination with National Geographic and Science. This technology is employed by these organisations for their documentaries. Thus, one can only imagine how real the fossils must look. The pictures of the fossils are scientifically authentic and visually brilliant. Besides, the game values and also awards players for being responsible citizens. For example, if a player makes extra efforts to keep the park clean, he earns the currency form of the virtual world- eggs.
Being a kid’s game, the creators of DinoKids have ensured that there is no offensive content. Communication is possible only in the form of pre-determined responses. Right at the beginning of the game, a choice is offered between an authorised or an unauthorized account- both completely free. If parents want to regulate their children’s accounts, they can do so by opting for an authorized account. Not only can they decide the kind of language their children should use, they can also prefix a daily time limit for their kids. Because of these reasons, DinoKids is an absolute hit with parents. It is safe and extremely educative.
DinoKids follows a very simple virtual world model. The controls are smooth and thus kids have no problems navigating through the park. The virtual world is enthralling, and some scenes like dinosaurs chasing each other evoke laughter. Thus, DinoKids also banks combines both science and the ‘cute’ factor.
The graphics are great, the DinoMorph technology works brilliantly. The animation is decently done, however the environment seems a bit too simple sometimes. Being a kid’s game, it could have done with more colour and vitality. The sound effects are catchy; there are more than 50 kinds of voices which add a dash of humour to the game.
As DinoKids is a fairly new entry in the array of virtual world games, there might be a few glitches- technical or otherwise. Some players have reportedly experienced problems accessing their accounts.
All in all, DinoKids is a rare combination of gaming and education. A lot of games encourage players to be responsible and helpful, but a very few of them really educate their players. At the same time, DinoKids is not mundane. It has a strong and exciting plot, interesting mini games and quizzes and maintains the interest of the players. The cuteness of the environment awes the young players.
DinoKids is technically sound, with great graphics and sounds. But it will mostly likely appeal only to very young kids due to its babyish graphics.
Visit DinoKids at www.dinokids.com.
The above Dino Kids review was written by a responsible parent and media professional who believes that child safety on the internet must be observed as a top priority. Contact us if you would like your virtual world reviewed too.
its good and bad
this game is so boring i hate it or at least i dont like it at all
it is boring
i want to play this game and i hope it,s good