Yes, you can play as a dinosaur. That's the big question everyone wants answered about Lego Jurassic World, the 56th game in the Lego franchise and the first to take on the might of Jurassic World's box office bite.
It's great fun too - and it happens early: about 20minutes into the game, feed a sick triceratops the right food and you can wake him up, take him over and wreak havoc, smashing up trees and bunkers with your carnage-creating horns. Later on you'll also get to play as a velociraptor, stegosaurus and the mighty T-Rex.
Unfortunately, playable dinos are among the few innovations on show in Lego Jurassic World. If you've played any of the recent instalments - from Lego Batman 3 to Lego Marvel Super Heroes and The Lego Movie - you'll know the formula: bash stuff, build stuff, then collect as many coins as possible. As well as comical cut scenes, there are subtle jabs at the franchise's most well known moments: at one point you'll ride a cow horseback-style on the spot where he'll be used as bait to feed a hungry T-Rex.
But this is mostly a rinse-and-repeat effort from previous Lego games. There's certainly nostalgic fun to be had playing through scenes from all four of the Jurassic Park films - even if the first remains the best. And while teasing out the dinosaur reveals can be fun, the puzzles are simple, the graphics blocky and there are buggy moments - especially trying to control the camera while taking a head-spinning trip around Jurassic Park in a dodgy four-wheel drive.
It feels a little rushed, and that's a shame: like the first film, watching brachiosaurus roam past while feasting on foliage is a highlight that's best enjoyed with a toddler on the couch next to you. And that maybe just be the best way to experience Jurassic World.
At 30-40 minutes, levels are well-timed, and letting kids play at palaeontology - like digging up fossils and building dinosaur skeletons - is like watching all those boring school museum trips come to life. Until Lego Dimensions comes out closer to Christmas, it's the best thing about this otherwise lacklustre dino-romp.
Rating: PG Platforms: PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PC Reviewed on: PS4, Samsung SUHD Smart TV
