Fantastic walk on the wild side

Chris Wasser

My five-year-old niece buried her head in her hands. I was a little worried, myself. Huxley, the palaeontologist, had stumbled upon footprints -- big footprints. It looks as though they were chasing something, too -- something big. And we all know what kind of large, prehistoric creature loved to chase their prey. But it's not what we think. No, see, Huxley is saving the main attraction for later.

Still, the sight of a hungry Allosaurus trying to get the better of a gigantic Brachiosaurus really is something. There is no blood shed, though an unfortunate Torosaurus might get himself into the embarrassing situation of having to walk away from a fight with a broken horn.

As for the raptor lying on its side, well, he just needed some sleep. "They're not eating him, Ella," I told my niece. "The other dinosaurs are just trying to wake him up."

Indeed, Walking with Dinosaurs might rely on a team of dozens to fully operate the animatronic monsters roaming the O2, but from the comfort of our seats, this hugely entertaining show (which has already been seen by 7m people) might as well be the real thing.

shaky

Based on the hit BBC documentary series, this big-budget 'arena spectacular' brings us back almost 245m years and allowed us to experience the wonder of the dinosaurs in a way that might have previously been restricted to film.

The aforementioned Huxley (a giddy Andrew Lewis) is our host for the evening, and he isn't afraid to get his hands dirty (yep, there are dino droppings along the way). Huxley literally walks alongside these massive creatures, but even he is a little shaky on his feet when it comes to the Utahraptor.

"Will they reach us?" asked Ella. "No, they can't jump that high," I replied. To be honest, I was unsure. A jumpy musical score only added to the excitement. And nothing can prepare you for the sight of a fully grown Tyrannosaurus Rex that walks straight over to the balcony and roars its massive head off.

"I'm not scared!" said Ella, smiling. I can't say I felt the same way.

HHHHI

Running until Sunday