Remembrances of Games Past, Part #14: 3-D Dinosaur Adventure (1994) (PC) (Knowledge Adventure)

The first computer I owned personally - a Packard Bell PC with an Intel 80486 processor which my parents bought me in 1995 - came with a fat bundle of so-called "edutainment" titles, which were all the rage back in the early days of CD-based software.

The one which immediately caught my 13 year old self's attention was "3-D Dinosaur Adventure" from Knowledge Adventure. It was an eclectic collection of mini-games and activities, ranging from the predictable (two "Name the Dinosaur" puzzle games) to the unexpected (a 3D maze/time challenge) to the downright bizarre (a "Create-A-Sarus" feature in which you put different skins on wire-frame dinos and listened to their reactions).

The program also included an ambitious database with hard facts on the creatures in question, as well as a movie section with lots of short clips, some of which utilized 3D animation.

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• 3-D
• Dinosaur
• Adventure
• Knowledge
• Multimedia
• CD
• Edutainment
• Game

[TheScott2K]

It did not have a 486 MHz processor. 486 was the model number, it was actually probably a DX2 variant that ran at 66 MHz. Hard to believe in the world of six-core 3GHz processors, I know.

[Demiath]

@TheScott2K Thanks for the correction. I'm trying hard to remember whether I and all my not very tech-savvy childhood friends actually believed back in the day that "486" designated the processor's speed; or if this confusion amounts to little more than a simple mistake made during the writing of this particular video description many years later. I would like to believe it was the latter, but I must admit it very well might have been the former... ;)

[joewhittles]

"hey lets go see a dinosaur movie"

uhh HELL YES

[Rocky54167]

Dude i still have this game and the others. Man i also had the Same COmputer Packard Bell For Workgroups 3.11 my uncle bought it. I never played it untill 2 years after he bought it. Isn't it fun to post videos of these old games on youtube? I also got this running on DOSBox and i see you have most of your movie speeds correct.

[Madchimpz]

Well no wonder I was afraid of the 3D T-Rex video, the music is freakin creepy.

[DjTake1One]

@lilkittles11 I was about to make this exact comment, verbatim.

[lilkittles11]

I loved this game I almost cried when I saw it on youtube. I used to play this for hours when I was little. Dinosaurs have always been a huge interest to me and this sparked my interest in the beginning.

[bejewzus]

@w33arrsmrtproduktion Same exact situation here. I remember this game just about as fondly as Jurassic Park...

[artgal797]

I used to cry every time I saw the clip "Death of the Dinosaurs" in this game.

[MrJJolley]

i haven't played this since I was three

[Kitty9991]

Look, Ma! No internal organs!

[jmoop87]

"Get ready! Put your 3D glasses on!"

*puts them on*

[ClichedNameFTW]

Oh God, I had this game when I was little! I loved it, but the opening animation with the T-Rex and the museum area always freaked me out. I'd run screaming from the computer every time. xDD

Good times...

[Karcasstic]

OH MY GOD, YES!