Jurassic Turok: Getting knocked on your butt by dinosaurs is just part of the fun of "Turok"

It's okay to shoot, they're only endangered on their home planet. The "Turok" franchise has been quiet over the last few years. The last offering, "Turok Evolution" didn't quite live up to the original game. Still, developers Touchstone and Propaganda Games haven't given up hope that there is something left in the Turok series. While this game is an improvement from the last one, Turok's latest adventure leaves much to be desired. As in the original, you play as Turok, a Native American and member of an elite squad of soldiers. Turok's spaceship crash-lands on a jungle-covered planet where he finds time to blast apart some dinosaurs.

The game is a first-person shooter and really stays close to the numbers. The controls operate like most first-person shooters, and that's OK. But it takes some real skill to deal with the twitchy analog joystick control when lining up a shot at a dino or solider. A better targeting system would make it easier, especially when there are groups attacking you. As with most of the newer action games, there is no "health" bar. This game opts rather for the old red screen treatment when you come to an end. That's fine. But the screen becomes blurry and you can't see very well - when under attack it's even worse. To survive, you need to run for cover. But your movements are slow, making this game frustrating at times. Why a game developer makes dumb mistakes like this is beyond even the average gamer.

Later in the game you go up against a walking tank, essentially a smaller version of "Halo's" Scarabs that repeatedly fires at you, knocking you down. By the time you get to your feet, it's fired another round at you. And you're on your butt again. Repeat this until you manage to edge out of range and you can imagine the frustration. It serves to disorient you, but it doesn't work as a game play mechanic.

This game was created on the Unreal 3 game engine and it looks great. The large landscapes and light effects are first rate. The dinos and other human foes look very realistic. And the music and sound effects are up to standard for a game like this. There is a multiplayer mode as well, but there is nothing that really stands out. Having played the original, as well as "Turok 2" on the Nintendo 64, this game is not nearly as fun. It's better than "Evolution," but as far as reinventions go, I expected more.

Turok

Rated- M for Mature, Publisher- Touchstone, Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC. Retail- $49-59.99