Running through the thick unknown jungle, the hunter lifts his bow, slides in an arrow, pulls back the drawstring and aims at . . . a dinosaur?  Welcome to the Lost Land, a place introduced on the Nintendo 64 in a first-person shooter called Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.  Now moving on to a whole different next-generation platform, Turok: Evolution continues the tale of a warrior who is chosen to save a world where humanity struggles to survive in a land filled with reptilian warriors and man-eating dinosaurs.  

Plucked from a bloody battle against his nemesis Captain Tobias Bruckner in Texas, circa 1886, Native American warrior Tal’Set wakes up to find that he is no longer in his own world but in another dimension known as the Lost Land.  It is in this surreal landscape that the warrior comes to find that he is chosen to battle evil Lord Tyrannus, his minions known as Sleg troops and Captain Bruckner himself in a jungle where familiar prehistoric creatures roam the land.

Those gamers familiar with the original games will find this one not entirely different, in fact, many of the great things about those games can be found here.  There is still the great assortment of weapons you can use--starting with the most primitive ones such as the War Club and Tek Bow to futuristic ones such as the dark Matter Cube.  And all the weapons have their own damage effects on the enemies.  For example, fitting your bow with a poisonous arrow tip will make your foe drop his weapon, drop to his knees and vomit and then die.  You can also target specific body parts and blow out a limb or the head (resulting in a fountain of blood).

Turok’s fifteen missions take you not only through simple mission objectives where you have to grab a key or pull some levers.  The missions are never boring either and, to mix things up, there are missions where you ride on the back of a pterodactyl-like creature in combat flight sim fashion.  Unusual as it sounds flying around on a prehistoric bird that launches rockets, the concept actually does work.  At times, the flying controls can get a little tricky and frustratingly unfair.

The game does suffer from a number of glitches, although minor, can still prove to be somewhat troublesome.  The enemy is a lot smarter due to the Squad Dynamics System and you will see it in the way they take cover or attempt to flush you out of your hiding place.  Still, even with this, they are prone to get stuck in certain corners or try to “faze” right through boulders just to get to you.  And while the controls are okay, those gamers use to the solid controls of Halo will find Turok’s controls a bit on the awkward side.

One of the game’s best features is the multiplayer games and there are fourteen games in all.  Thanks to the Xbox control ports, four players can be on the screen at once in fast and furious Deathmatch games.  There are also some original concepts presented here such as the Monkey Tag game where the player that holds on to a monkey the longest wins the game.  There’s also a Flight game where you and your friends fight it out in the skies.

Graphics-wise, Turok is actually one great looking game on the Xbox as opposed to the PS2 version.  The jungles of the Lost Land will have you admiring the scenery the minute you step out into your first mission.  You’ll watch as might brontosaurs lazily crane their necks to bite into grassy shrubs while exotic birds of various colors take flight from tree to tree. 

What really wins big points, though, is the game’s sound effects and score.  The Lost Land’s fertile forests are alive with hundreds of distinct sounds that practically surround the player.  Caverns echo your footsteps and you can hear the individual buzzing flies as they swarm over the carcass of a dead animal.  You’ll love the sounds of the dinosaurs--the surreally authentic sounds they make will surely bring the Jurassic Park movies to mind.  And the score that becomes a powerful chant helps keep the tension alive.  

As far as first-person shooters are concerned, Turok: Evolution has all the goods and enough action to boot--although it does come up short in certain areas.  Still, those N64 gamers that loved the original will love this game while fans of the first-person shooter genre will not find anything completely innovative here.  This is a highly recommended rental.

Gameplay: 7.7
While boasting a completely rebuilt game engine, Turok: Evolution feels just like Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for the N64--and that’s okay considering that the controls could have been a lot more complex.  Once again, Tal’Set has a number of weapons at his disposal and using them all is just a delight.  However, there are times when the controls can play against you--especially if you’re trying to do something as simple as climb up a ledge.

Aside from being a first-person shooter, the game introduces a few flight combat moments as Tal’Set takes to the sky on a winged reptile. It might seem incredibly strange souring through the air and launching missiles, but this is a much welcome feature . . . although, at times, flying can be really frustrating in certain places.

Graphics: 8.3
Turok for the Xbox isn’t bad looking at all, although the game does suffer from heavy clipping issues.  Still, this isn’t a bad looking game and gamers will marvel at the incredible detail of the Lost Land.  The foliage sways aside as you walk through the thick shrubbery and even up close the plant life looks wonderfully well textured.  And as you wade through the water, you’ll notice the ripples on the surface as you move.

Yet it’s the dinosaurs that is one of the game’s main attractions and Turok is definitely filled with various carnivorous monstrosities to the more docile herbivores . . . and they all look wonderfully rendered, especially up close.  And, of course, the visual effects help push the realism factor. For example, exploding grenades just don’t toss up body parts but a rainfall of dirt and debris too.

Sound: 8.5
Highly detailed to the point of being simply brilliant, Turok’s sound and score truly does deserve to be cranked up if you own a good Dolby Digital sound system hooked up to your console.  Players will love how the surroundings practically breath with life and if you stand still you could hear buzzing insects, croaking frogs, the swaying flora as a breeze blows through it.  In the distance a raptor’s reptilian croak can be heard and tiny scatter and screech at the startling crack your pistol makes.

While the voice acting is a bit on the stale side, the game’s soundtrack more than makes up for it.  The score is a mixture of tribal rhythms complete with dramatic drumbeats to modern rock riffs that oddly enough don’t seem too out of place. 

Difficulty: Medium
Thanks to the Squad Dynamics System, the enemy AI is a lot smarter than in the first two games and they think in terms of strategic positions instead of running out to you in a suicidal rage.  You’ll find many instances where the enemy would try to outflank you or try to flush you out with a well-tossed grenade in your direction.  Then again, you’ll catch them doing dumb things such trying to go right through that boulder you are using as cover instead of just going around it.

Concept: 7.8
Turok: Evolution does not do anything innovative compared to any other first-person shooter available, but the addition of a combat flight simulator mission keep the game’s action from growing too stale and repetitive.  You can also use the environment to your advantage, such as shooting a tree down and watching it crash down on an unsuspecting foe.

Multiplayer: 8.4
Quite possibly one of the best aspects of the game are the fourteen multiplayer games that are big enough to house up to four players on the screen at once.  While most of them are your basic Deathmatch and Capture the Flag-type games where you can take down your friends in various locations, the more unique multiplayer games, such as Monkey Tag or Flight is where the action really intense though.

Overall: 7.5
Turok: Evolution hasn’t really evolved from it’s N64 beginnings and it does suffer from its share of minor glitches, but overall, the game has enough action to satisfy the cravings of all you first-person shooter addicts.  Those who haven’t experienced the first two Turok games should really consider renting this one first.