Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter is unsurprisingly a hunting game in which you have to take down a number of different species of dinosaur; including harmless herbivores and carnivores that will seek to hunt you down. The game is an adaptation of one that was released for the PC in 1998 and so it doesn’t push as many polygons as some of the latest iPhone releases. But nor does it need to; this game is amongst the better titles for the device.

You start with a limited amount of credits that are used to purchase options for the game. Pick a map, some dinosaurs and a weapon and you’re good to go; initially you’ll start with weak dinosaurs and just a short range pistol, but as you kill you can earn credits to unlock new maps, weapons and dinosaurs. We don’t recommend trying to kill an allosaurus with a pistol, but a crossbow might just do the trick. In addition to the main hunt mode, there’s also a survival one; an immobile you (save for aiming), a shotgun and wave after wave of dinosaurs determined to take you out. It’s fun, but not as fun as the hunt.

Hunting feels extremely natural, thanks to the control scheme that is used in most iPhone first person shooters. You move with the left analog stick, and then look with your right thumb. Your weapon is holstered by default, and as it slows your walking speed right down it’s best to get it out only when you’re close to your target; binoculars will help you get a closer view and will also provide information about a dinosaur if it is in the scope. You can call dinosaurs if you’re having a hard time finding them, but the map overlay which unfortunately masks your view complicates things unnecessarily; a more translucent option would have been welcome.

The credits that you receive depend on the settings in the menu; you’re free to hunt all dinosaurs in sight, but you will only get half of the credits from those that you haven’t selected as targets. Some dinosaurs don’t give you any credits at all! The credit system is a good one because it forces you to explore all of the different weapon types and terrains without having them all unlocked from the get-go.

Sure, the graphics are a little mediocre but it’s the general atmosphere of the game that will suck you in; there’s much ambient noise in lieu of music and this only adds to the tension throughout; after all, when there are dangerous creatures out there trying to eat you, you have to be all the more wary.

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter is an easy recommendation. It is easy to pick up, jump in and have a go at hunting some dinosaurs for five minutes or so. It loads superbly quickly thanks to its fast switching support and can easily burn away your time if you let it.

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