Dinosaur World

Dinosaur World is a freeware video game developed by Asylum Entertainment and published by the BBC. It is a spin-off of Episode 2 of Walking with Dinosaurs ("Time of the Titans") and the special The Ballad of Big Al. The main point of the game is to find all the animals and plants, including several location features, that are distributed in five different zones.

Gameplay
You start in the beginnings of a dry season at the 'Mossy Plain', where are some adult Diplodocus and Araucaria trees, with the presence of a single dragonfly. From this zone you can go to the 'Desert', to the 'Forest' or to the 'Dry Riverbed' mountain. In the Desert, which is rich in cycads, you'll find a pair of pterosaurs flying, some adolescent Diplodocus that are chased by Al (the Allosaurus from The Ballad of Big Al), who usually kills the smaller one, but is rare that he doesn't, and then later tries to attack one of the larger Diplodocus, but fails to kill it, and Al dies of his injuries. To the south, two Stegosaurus (one dead, trapped in quick sand). In the middle of the Dry Riverbed you can see some dinosaur tracks that are from a hatchling Diplodocus and an Allosaurus; when you arrive at the end of the riverbed you'll find the Allosaurus (female) eating the Diplodocus, apparently she killed him. In the Forest are mainly redwood trees and tree ferns, you won't find animals but an Allosaurus nest that is later plundered by an Ornitholestes (not featured, only indicated in the news, however, it can be heard in the forest.) and subsequently noted by an angry mother. The forest has a tunnel, where you can find stalactites, that connects with the 'Crater'. That zone consist mostly of a lake (which is really an underwater crater) surrounded by walls, where are many Bennettitales and like in the Mossy Plain, a sole dragonfly. When you discover all the species and location features, there will be news indicating that a pathway was opened in a Desert cliff. Then, you'll be able to go up, and wait that one of the pterosaurs come close to you for 'tagging him' and fly to a new secret area, the 'Salt Lake' (see Secret Area).

Unfortunately, the realism of the game can sometimes encounter problems, which the player can notice by studying the animals and their behavior for a period of time. These problems include Diplodocus literally going through solid rock and vanishing into it, Allosaurus attacking a Diplodocus that's already dead (which results in the former jumping onto the air above the carcass and "biting" and "clawing" mere space while floating in midair), or several Allosaurus "passing into" each other and moving simultaneously together with parts of their anatomy sticking out of their "fused" bodies, a really unusual sight. All this in the "Secret Area". In other places, the player can pass through the bellies of the Diplodocus.

Species featured
There are 10 species featured, one half consist of animals and the other of plants. Below some trees you can observe tiny plants that aren't identified like the horsetails and ferns. In the news is mentioned an Ornitholestes disturbing an Allosaurus nest, but never appear, when you arrive at the nest there are only the eggs broken and eaten.

Location features
The number of location features (in the game called 'sights') varies in the different zones. In the Mossy Plain are 3, in the Dry Riverbed 2, in the Desert 4, in the Forest 4 and in the Crater 3. In total are 16. The discovering of a location feature is mapped with a yellow star.

News
There can be news happening in a visited place, for example, if you have gone to the end of the Dry Riverbed, where the female Allosaurus is eating the small Diplodocus, later you will receive the news that other Allosaurus arrived there and they are fighting for the food. The location where the news is happening and you have to go is mapped with a red star. The news that you receive throughout the game is the following:


 * When a male Allosaurus arrives at the end of the Dry Riverbed and fights the female for the Diplodocus carcass. The male, which leave the female seriously injured, finally wins the combat and eats the small Diplodocus.
 * When an Allosaurus is attracted by the smell of the meat from a dead Stegosaurus that lies in quicksand in the Desert. While trying to eat it, the Allosaurus is trapped in the quicksand, from which he can't escape and minutes later he dies.
 * When several tiny meteorites fall near the Stegosaurus.
 * When an Allosaurus nest is disturbed and depredated by an Ornitholestes in the forest. As separate news, later the mother arrives and discovers it.
 * When you finally discover all the species and location features, there is a seismic movement in the mountains of the Desert that opens a pathway which you'll be able to climb and, by 'tagging' a pterosaur, go to the secret area.

By searching through the game's files, it can be assumed that there were originally planned to be to be other news items. Originally, there had to be separate news items for the Diplodocus dying in the Dry Riverbed and later a female Allosaurus coming to eat it before you could see the footprints. Originally, the female Allosaurus had to lay the eggs before they could be found, and originally, there was a news item that a redwood tree had blown over.

Secret Area
There is a secret area in the game, the 'Salt Lake' (more like a salt flat because you can walk there), which never appears on the map. You unlock it by discovering all the species and location features, later when news of a pathway opened in the Desert is received, go there and climb the mountain, one of the pair of pterosaurs will come close and you have to tag him, then let it fly you to the Salt Lake and follow the on-screen instructions. In this zone you'll be able to create your own dinosaurs that can only be Allosaurus, and small or large Diplodocus.

Options and features
On the Electronic Field Guide you can see the map which shows the zones, your position, location features discovered (yellow star), news locations (red star), remote cameras and dinosaurs. The other sections are the controls and the help.

While exploring, you can leave up to 8 remote cameras. On the map are situated the remote cameras, when you select its icon you will return to them.

You can 'tag a ride' on any animal, and also attach a remote camera to it.