You might go into Jurassic Park: The Game thinking it's a basic adventure game, something more like the rest of developer Telltale's line-up. You'd be wrong. It's much less. The quintessential example of an interactive movie, Jurassic Park is a mini-series set during and after the events of the first film, but with a few button presses thrown in every now and then to make it feel as if you're doing something. The story is mildly interesting and feels like a step up from the unnecessary third film, but there's simply too little gameplay.

The plot of Jurassic Park: The Game describes what happened after the events of the first film. It turns out a group of unlucky survivors was left on the dinosaur-infested Isla Nubar after Jeff Goldblum and friends escaped. A corporate spy, a dinosaur vet and his 15-year old daughter, a scientist, and the mercenaries sent there to save them all make up this second crew. It's your usual ragtag group of misfits, though of course they don't all make it to the end.

Jurassic Park: The Game mac*, pc, xbox, ps3, ipad Release Date: now

now MSRP: $29.99 Official site * = platform reviewed

The game spans four episodes, but this is not an episodic release; the entire game is available for one price. The story follows a familiar trajectory—characters fight, switch sides, and die, all the while attempting to avoid being swallowed whole by a T-Rex. You don't learn much about any of the characters and they all play a pretty well-defined role—the rebellious teenager, for example, is rebellious. The Michelle Rodriguez-style character fills the role of every character that Michelle Rodriguez has ever played.

It's not the characters or the story that let the game down. The story itself can even be fun to watch. The problem is that sometimes you're asked to do something, and it's never enough.

Jurassic Park: The Game is made up mostly of quick time events. When a raptor chases you, you'll need to hit the right series of buttons to escape. If you're hiding from a T-Rex, you'll have to hold the cursor at just the right spot to steady yourself and be still. If you fail to do so, you'll start over and the game will ask you to do the same thing again. If you fail enough times, the sequence will get a little easier. There are some thrilling scenes in the game, but this style of gameplay ultimately robs them of any actual emotion or scares. You can't even fully enjoy watching the game, as you're forced to keep your eyes on the button prompts.

Even worse are the scenes that feel like an adventure game. The few puzzles you'll come across are ultimately too simple to be challenging, while the investigation sequences don't give you much to explore. You just look at stuff and then the story progresses. You don't even have an inventory or any items to find and use. It's all simplified to the point that the actual "game" aspects feel out of place. This an experience that's more fun to watch than it is to play.

Verdict: Skip