Introduction: How can any infant or junior schoolchild resist the draw of those ferocious monsters? My daughter recently went to a friends Dinosaur birthday party and my nephew, who is a little older, seems to be developing a palaeontology addiction all his own. There is no debating that dinosaurs are cool. But attempts to capitalise on this in computer games have had something of a chequered history. Turok starting well but now seems likely to be extinct. Probably the best game so far was the real-world card game Dinosaur Top Trumps; I remember that from my childhood, spending hours pawing over each monsters statistic to plan my next attack.

So it is with some weight of expectation that D3 bring Fossil League to the table. Obviously playing to the dinosaur fraternity Fossil League looks to combine this with play styled on the ever popular Pokémon games. This brings the fascination with the different types and breed of pre-historic creatures together with the collecting mechanic of Nintendo's biggest franchise. Not a bad idea I'm sure you'll agree.

GamePlay: This is all build around a story where humanity has discovered time travel, and decides to head back and capture dinosaurs so they can compete against each other. The player with the best set of 'saurs gains the crown and kudos of his companions.

The game continues as you slowly encounter and collect dinosaurs of different types. They are divided up into a variety of different elements. To be successful in the game you need to capture and train dinosaurs from each of the different elements. This then equips you to tackle most of the other monsters you encounter. As you notch up the wins and progress further through the game you are able to level up your team to ensure they are able to beat anything put in their way.

Although this is a familiar and successful dynamic we have seen elsewhere, here it is a little too one dimensional to be truly compelling. There should be more impetus to change you team as you encounter different 'saurs through the game. However, it turns out that a lack of variety means that you can pretty much stick with your original team, and rely on levelling them up as you go.

Control: Control wise you use the stylus to select the different travelling and battling options. The DS is obviously well suited to this type of action adventure, and does a good job of letting you interact with the unfolding action.

The different attacking and defensive options are essentially selecting by tapping on the relevant icons on the bottom screen. Whilst not rocket-science this works well enough, and helps keep the action moving a little quicker than swapping between different buttons.

Graphics: The visuals are adequate, although again not pushing any boundaries for the DS. They do suffer the same problem that rears its head throughout the game. After playing for a while you feel like you have seen it all before. The dinosaurs look pretty similar to each other. There is none to the excitement of encountering a new creature that is designed totally differently from those in your collection, as in Pokémon. Seen one dinosaur and you pretty much have seen them all.

Sound & Music: There is the odd touch of brilliance in the sound department. But not enough to lift the general feel of the title. Not so great are the sound effects that accompany the battles. More time could have been spent here too, developing more varied sets of sound effects to accompany the action. Again it all becomes too familiar too quickly.

Dual Screen Use: The second screen is put to good use. During fights the familiar format is taken up of displaying the action in the top screen whilst keeping the lower one for attack and defence icons and statistics of how the play is progressing.

Whilst this is nothing new, we again see how well suited the DS is to these types of games that have traditionally struggled for screen real-estate. The two screens really make a big difference to the ease of play, and determining what is happening turn-to-turn.

Final Comments: Overall this is a pale imitation of the Pokémon games. With Diamond and Pearl now out on the DS, you are much much better off going for the real deal unless you have a fetish for dinosaurs. Younger players who are hooked on the pre-historic era may find some fun here, particularly if they can pass of the game as homework to mum and dad.

Pro: Pokémon with Dinosaurs will be a popular combination for some
Con: Poor execution and variety hamper a good idea.
Final Score: 4.5

Reviewed by: Douglas Andrews