What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Ferocious robotic dinosaur! The Bad: Background noise can make it tough for him to "seek" you out In a Nutshell: This smart, quirky "pet" will inspire tons of imaginative play At a Glance Ages: 8 and up Requires: 5 C batteries and 2 AAA batteries

D-REX features authentic looking rubbery, reptilian skin. View larger.

Controller lets you prompt five different types of behavior. View larger.

Before you start getting to know D-REX personally, you'll need to use a Phillips screwdriver to insert five "C" batteries in his tail and two "AAA" batteries in the bone-shaped controller. Once he's powered up, D-REX is ready to start showing off and responding to his surroundings. He'll roar, turn his head, and blink his eyes.

Cool Robotics Technology for Interactive Play
When you pet D-REX on the head, touch sensors let him respond with an appreciative roar. If he seems hungry, you can stick something in his mouth and he'll chomp away on it. And the bone-shaped controller lets you prompt five different types of behavior. Press "attack," and he'll launch forward while roaring. Press "prank," and he'll fart, burp, or roar. In seek mode, he uses a noise sensor to locate you and walk towards you. Due to the room's background noise, we found that he had some difficulty with this task. But it was funny (and kind of cute) when he bumped into walls and backed away in surprise.

Perhaps our favorite mode was "guard." In this mode, you can set D-REX up in front of your bedroom door or your favorite toys and he will scan the room, letting out a big roar if he detects the motion of "intruders." There's even a question mode that lets you replace your out-dated magic eight ball with dinosaur wisdom. Each time you press this button, D-REX will answer a question by nodding "Yes" or shaking his head "No."

D-REX is programmed to respond as a pet with an independent mind. This means that, despite his five-button remote, he won't walk where ever you want him to. Kids who expect to "drive" him around the room like a remote control car may be disappointed, but we actually enjoyed this fact a lot, since it made him more realistic. And we expect that kids who are fascinated by either dinosaurs or robotics will agree with us on this. As an added bonus, D'REX offers a battery-saving sleep mode, which parents are sure to appreciate.

What's in the Box
D-REX Dinosaur and bone-shaped controller.

With My First Dino Kit, You're a real paleontologist! Use excavation tools to dig up a dinosaur skeleton and then classify and display your findings. Build a glow in the dark model, or grow and shrink some giant dinos, all while you learn about the prehistoric past. Did some dinosaurs have feathers? Are crocodiles as ancient as the dinosaurs? You'll find out. Ages 4+ adult supervision required.