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The Magic School Bus Explores in the Age of Dinosaurs

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Confused Wanda
"How can Ms. Frizzle be with you when she's with us in Peru right now?"
This article is about the 1996 game. You may be looking for the 2011 remake.

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The Magic School Bus Explores in the Age of Dinosaurs (or simply The Magic School Bus: Dinosaurs or MSB Dinos) is the fifth installment in The Magic School Bus series of PC games, released in late 1996 for Windows and macOS. It is one of the few The Magic School Bus Explores games that can be played on 64-bit versions of Windows and macOS, such as Windows 11 or macOS Monterey. It is loosely the software adaptation of the book In the Time of the Dinosaurs (from the original book series), "The Busasaurus" (the cartoon adaptation of the said book), and later "The Land Before Tim".

Its remake is called simply Dinosaurs.

Summary[]

Ms. Frizzle is missing three photos of prehistoric animals from her album. The class travels millions of years back in time to the age of dinosaurs to take some new ones to compensate for the ones she lost.

At random, the player is given one of three different albums: Meat-Eating Dinosaurs (carnivores/omnivores), Plant-Eating Dinosaurs (herbivores), and Reptiles That Aren't Dinosaurs (prehistoric animals from the Mesozoic era besides dinosaurs hence the album name). Each album once given has clues on each page to identify the dinosaur and exact location. Once the photo of the correct prehistoric animal is taken, the player will move on to keep searching for more prehistoric animals to photograph. When the album is completed (and when all three missing photos are found) Ms. Frizzle gives the player a mask of a prehistoric animal to print and cut out. It is dependent with what album was selected (a mask of Brachiosaurus for "Plant Eating Dinosaurs", a mask of Tyrannosaurus Rex for "Meat Eating Dinosaurs", or a mask of Pterodactylus for "Reptiles That Aren't Dinosaurs").

Eras[]

Now (sometimes called Present)[]

The present time setting. This is also when the classroom is visited. The only way back to this era is to click on the red lever next to the Time Machine. Ironically, it can even be used when the player is already in the Now era. However, it is not always necessary to do so. Because the player might want to progress through the story, continue exploring, and keep playing the game.

Triassic Period[]

Set 220M years before the present, this is the earliest era of dinosaurs. The two locations are in Argentina and Arizona. The Bus takes the form of a Coelophysis.

Jurassic Period[]

Set 150M years before the present, this is the middle era of dinosaurs. It is the only one that has three locations instead of two (being Tethys Sea, Tanzania, and Colorado) and the only era with an underwater location. The Bus takes the form of a Stegosaurus.

Cretaceous Period[]

Set 70-65M years before the present, this is the late era of dinosaurs before they faced extinction. The two locations are in Mongolia and Alberta. The Bus takes on the form of a Pteranodon. The Cretaceous cutscenes (after the bus and time machine malfunction) also has the Bus use its Pteranodon form.

Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric animals[]

  • Herrerasaurus
  • Eoraptor
  • Coelophysis (Rioaribbasaurus)
  • Barosaurus
  • Kentrosaurus
  • Plesiosaurus
  • Ichthyosaurus
  • Pterodactylus
  • Barosaurus
  • Kentrosaurus
  • Ornitholestes
  • Apatosaurus
  • Brachiosaurus
  • Diplodocus
  • Stegosaurus
  • Allosaurus
  • Mononykus
  • Oviraptor
  • Protoceratops
  • Tarbosaurus
  • Albertosaurus
  • Maiasaura
  • Hysilophodon (only appears in the Cretaceous cutscene)
  • Struthiomimus (only appears in the Cretaceous cutscene)
  • Troodon
  • Ornithomimus
  • Triceratops
  • Tyrannosaurus rex (only appears in the Cretaceous cutscene)

Trivia[]

  • The PC version of this game can be played on every version of Windows up to the 64-bit Windows 11. This is one of the only Explores games that can; the other being its sister title, Explores inside the Earth. To be able to play it on modern 32- and 64-bit Windows versions (2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11) requires the player to install it through the Setup folder.
  • One of its TV adaptations, "The Land Before Tim", focuses on fossils.
  • This game is the software adaptation of the book In the Time of the Dinosaurs (from the original book series).
    • However, similar to "The Busasaurus" --the TV adaptation of the said book-- there are (again) differences from the book:
      • Like The Busasaurus, this version (Explores in the Age of Dinosaurs) is a loose adaptation of the book In the Time of the Dinosaurs. Despite showing the Bus in the form of a time machine on the cover of the box, jewel case/booklet, and bonus pack CD which it became in both the book --In the Time of the Dinosaurs-- and the TV adaptation --The Busasaurus-- this version has the Bus transform into three types of prehistoric animals instead of a time machine (Coelophysis for the Triassic period, Stegosaurus for the Jurassic, and Pteranodon for the Cretaceous). The time machine form (aside from the cover of the box, jewel case/booklet, and bonus pack CD) can however be seen during the transformation scene. (That is, after the user selects one of the seven locations.) But this is the only time the user can see the bus in the time machine (as it did in the book and TV adaptation).
        • However, in "The Busasaurus" (the TV adaptation), the bus did transform into prehistoric animals (Parasaurolophus and Triceratops). But because the TV adaptation only showed the Cretaceous period instead of all the time periods (due to time constraints), it transforms into Parasaurolophus and Triceratops. However, both of those dinosaurs lived in that period. But it's still animal mecha. So the bus transformed into mechanical versions of dinosaurs in both the TV and software adaptations.
      • The book and TV adaptation --The Busasaurus-- have Ms. Frizzle and her class visit her old friends (Jeff in the book and Dr. Skeledon in the cartoon adaptation). In this version, Ms. Frizzle and the class do not visit any of Ms. Frizzle's old friends (at least not the paleontologist characters --Jeff from the book and/or Dr. Skeledon from the cartoon adaptation).
        • Also, the fossil dig site is not a location in this version. So there is no place for any location to take place on a fossil dig site (unlike in the other two adaptations of the book --the book itself and cartoon adaptation).
      • Nothing in the software adaptation is the same from the book. However, there are two exceptions. The first exception is that this version shows all of the Mesozoic time periods like in the book. The other one is that at the beginning of both the book and the software adaptation, the classroom is seen, opened on, featured, and taken place in (and can --by extension-- be visited). Those two similarities are the only two between the book and the software adaptation.
        • So while all periods of time were visited in this version and the classroom is seen, opened on, featured, and taken place in --like in the book-- everything else is not the same (including the bus turning into mechanical versions of dinosaurs instead of a time machine --not counting the Parasaurolophus and Triceratops animal mecha forms in The Busasaurus), the Friz and the class visits Ms. Frizzle's old friends in both the book (and the cartoon adaptation) and they didn't do that in this version, and a fossil dig site is not visited in this version unlike the book (and the cartoon adaptation).
  • Occasionally, the Bus and time machine might malfunction and it takes the player to one of two different cutscenes (both set in the Cretaceous Period). If the player clicks on a location, the Bus and time machine may malfunction. And the Friz tells the user the time machine is not working (can say either, "Hmm...?! Oh dear! This time machine does not seem to be working properly!" or "My, oh, my! This time machine is not the most reliable!"). That is, before the user gets taken directly to the Cretaceous period and the Cretaceous cutscene.
    • After the bus and time machine malfunctions and takes the user to the Cretaceous, they then are going to be seen in the said time period. Both of the cutscenes have the Bus take on the form of Pteranodon (same prehistoric animal for the Cretaceous). An "X" sign (seen white with a red "X" in the middle) falls out if the player chooses to skip it. (That is, in both of the cutscenes.)
      • The first cutscene is the Tyrannosaurus rex. The T-Rex appears and he tries to chew the Bus (only for the "X" sign to fall out). An "X" sign falls out, so the user can skip the cutscene. He (the T-Rex) eats everything in the Bus, except the "X" sign.
        • Also, in the first cutscene (which is the Tyrannosaurus rex), Ms. Frizzle notes that the Tyrannosaurus rex had short arms. She says that because his arms are tiny, he cannot reach his head with them.
          • By extension, after the T.Rex eats everything (and lets the "X" sign fall out), Ms. Frizzle uses the tools to build a new time machine. The class then says random comments to her so they can continue exploring (trying to rush the Friz).
      • The second cutscene is set where meteors shower down where the dinosaurs face extinction. Again, an "X" sign falls out so the player can skip the cutscene. (That is, similar to the T-Rex cutscene.)
    • But the bus and time machine in the end (even after the user clicks on the "X" sign) are fixed completely. The player goes to their destination they originally clicked on before the bus and time machine malfunctioned and accidentally took them to the Cretaceous.
  • There are three games that are set in different periods of time (Dino Madness, Marathon, and Meteor Meltdown):
    • Ironically, the game "Meteor Meltdown" is set in the Jurassic Period (Jurassic Colorado), yet the Jurassic Period follows the Triassic Period and precedes the Cretaceous Period where the dinosaurs became extinct after that era.
    • The game "Marathon" is set in the Jurassic Period (Jurassic Tanzania). But the dinosaurs in this game is Troodon (Trudy the Troodon) and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Both of these dinosaurs lived in the Cretaceous period and not the Jurassic.
    • The game "Dino Madness" is set in the Triassic Period (Triassic Argentina). However, the host in the said game is a dinosaur (a Baryonyx). However the real dinosaur (Baryonyx) lived in the Cretaceous period. His name is "Barry the Baryonyx". But the dinosaur Baryonyx did not live in the Triassic period, it lived in the Cretaceous. So Baryonyx (the real dinosaur), it existed much later.
      • Also, in "That's Not a Dinosaur" (one of the challenges in the "Dino Madness" game), the turkey and emu are mistaken to be not dinosaurs. (That is, unlike the Archaeopteryx.) Modern birds are technically living dinosaurs. That is, unless Barry means, "What one of these animals is not a non-avian dinosaur?". (He does say something about modern birds being living dinosaurs though. That is, for the "Dino Data" question, "What animal is the modern descendants of dinosaurs?". The correct answer to that question is "The bird".)
        • Turkeys and emus are technically dinosaurs (like all birds).
        • Barry (however) may be correct that the turkey and emu are not dinosaurs. That is, if he means non-avian dinosaurs. Then indeed, these two types of birds are not non-avian dinosaurs.
    • Every other game including Dino Sizer, The Skeleton Puzzle, The Footprint Puzzle, Past Card, Morph-a-Saurus, Nest Watch, The Name Game, and Dino Quartet are in the correct periods of time (Dino Sizer in Triassic Arizona, The Skeleton Puzzle in Triassic Argentina, The Footprint Puzzle in Jurassic Tanzania, Past Card and Morph-a-Saurus in Jurassic Tethys Sea, Nest Watch and The Name Game in Cretaceous Mongolia, and Dino Quartet in Cretaceous Alberta). All of them have at least one dinosaur that lived at the same period of time. (e.g. Coelophysis in Triassic Arizona, Herrerasaurus in Triassic Argentina, Plesiosaurus in Jurassic Tethys Sea, Oviraptor, Tarbosaurus, and Protoceratops in Cretaceous Mongolia, and Triceratops in Cretaceous Alberta. These are for the games Dino Sizer, The Skeleton Puzzle, Morph-a-Saurus, Nest Watch, The Name Game, and Dino Quartet.)
      • However, despite the fact that Meteor Meltdown is in the Jurassic Period (Jurassic Colorado), one of the dinosaur players in that game is a Stegosaurus. Stegosaurus lived in the Jurassic period. And in this game, it's one of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Colorado.
  • Interestingly, with the exception of the Dino Madness game, the periods of time (Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Present) are in various colors. Triassic is the green time period, Jurassic is the orange period, Cretaceous is the purple one, and Present (referred to as "Now") is red.
  • The music accompaniment for the game "Meteor Meltdown" is similar to that of "Stop the Lava" from the previous game Explores Inside the Earth.
  • This is the last game in the original software where Arnold sits on the front of bus in the game's cover artwork.
  • This game is one of the two games from the original software (the other being Explores the Rainforest):
  • While exploring outside in Jurassic Colorado, Phoebe and Carlos are shown to debate over Apatosaurus's name, in which Phoebe refers it to Apatosaurus which is current, while Carlos refers to it as the popular but archaic Brontosaurus (which was determined to be its own species in 2015).
  • Phoebe announces arrival in Jurassic Colorado and Cretaceous Alberta. In the cutscenes where she announces the arrivals, she is wearing a red vest over her yellow shirt while announcing in Jurassic Colorado, but while announcing in Cretaceous Alberta, she isn't wearing the vest.
  • Jurassic Colorado is actually located in modern day Minnesota.
  • The Triassic period (Triassic Arizona and Triassic Argentina) and one of the Jurassic locations (Jurassic Tethys Sea) are the three locations out of seven which has the most non-dinosaur related prehistoric animals. (That is, for the "Reptiles That Aren't Dinosaurs" album.)
    • There are two reasons why. For the Triassic period, there were not very many dinosaurs. All the dinosaurs were small. The larger ones developed in the Jurassic. In the Triassic period, there were a lot of other prehistoric animals. The early dinosaurs were small. For the Jurassic location --Jurassic Tethys Sea-- while marine reptiles (like Ichthyosaurus and Plesiosaurus) lived at the same time as the dinosaurs, they were not dinosaurs. All dinosaurs were land animals.
      • So that is why the user will find the most non-dinosaur related prehistoric animals (for the said album) in those three locations.
  • The classroom music is the same as the previous game The Magic School Bus Explores Inside the Earth, but was revised with extra rhythm in the middle of the song. The same classroom music from this game was used once again in the next game Explores the Rainforest.
  • When Ms. Frizzle says, "Today we're not just going somewhere, we're going somewhen", she states that the place they're going is just through a time machine on the bus so they can explore dinosaurs in the eras they once existed in. This quote is from the original series episode, "The Busasaurus".
  • Occasionally, a dragonfly will appear when the player highlights the door while in the driver's seat of the Bus.
  • While most of the kids only appear in two of the three time periods, Arnold and Keesha are the only ones who appear in all three.
  • This is one of two games in which all the students have more than one report. The other being Explores the Ocean.
    • However, in Explores the Solar System, Janet has done two reports but her one on Earth was extra credit work.
  • In this game, there is footage from Dorling Kindersley, "The Dinosaurs!" TV series on PBS, and the Microsoft CD ROM (Microsoft Dinosaurs). The videos (on the reports in the back of the bus) show footage from "The Dinosaurs!" TV series and the "Microsoft Dinosaurs" CD ROM. The "Fossil Finder" activity (on the back of the Bus), some of the dinosaur pictures on the reports (also on the back of the Bus), the PaleoCards, and the photos on Ms. Frizzle's photo albums depicts a dinosaur from Dorling Kindersley (especially from some Dorling Kindersley dinosaur books).
  • The calendar in the classroom as the player clicks on it that flips pages going month-after-month, the months are spelled out using the first three letters of each month. Since May has three characters in it, it makes it the only month on the calendar to be fully spelled out.
  • In the credit card section (shown in the classroom) and throughout this game, there are no dinosaurs or other prehistoric animals that begin with the letters F, J, U, W, X, Y, or Z. That is, only the letters A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, and V. Nineteen letters are used, but the other seven letters (F, J, U, W, X, Y, and Z) are ignored. With the exception of the letters F, J, and U, the only letters (for dinosaur and other prehistoric reptile names) go from "A" to "V".
    • All the vowels are used for the names of prehistoric animals, except for "U".
    • The letter with the most prehistoric animal names is the letter "S", while the smallest (at one name) is the letters G, Q, and V. Because each of these three letters have one prehistoric animal name to begin with that letter. (That is, "G" for Gallimimus, "Q" for Quetzalcoatlus, and "V" for Velociraptor.)

Goofs[]

  • In the intro of the game, the bus takes form of Pteranodon (same prehistoric animal for the Cretaceous). In the spite of that, the title card actually takes place in one of the Triassic locations (Triassic Arizona). That is, while the bus is in its Pteranodon form (when it should use the Coelophysis form).
    • However, when the player actually goes to the Triassic period (and its locations), the bus correctly uses the Coelophysis form. It is correctly that for the Triassic, correctly the Stegosaurus for the Jurassic, and correctly the Pteranodon for the Cretaceous (as well as the Cretaceous cutscenes when the bus and time machine malfunction).
  • The Iguanodon on one of the PaleoCards incorrectly states that it lived in the Early Jurassic. The real dinosaur lived in the Cretaceous period.
  • The game claims that there is a dinosaur called Rioarribasaurus, which used to be called Coelophysis. In fact, Coelophysis is the correct name.
  • The Tanius on one of the PaleoCards is actually called Tsintaosaurus.
    • It is probable that the Tanius was originally called Tsintaosaurus in the game, as when the PaleoCards are listed alphabetically, Tanius is incorrectly listed in the spot it would be as Tsintaosaurus. Why it would be changed to the incorrect Tanius is unknown.
  • On the PaleoCards, there are 66 species of prehistoric animals (from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods).
  • There are some dinosaurs that could be synonymous with other names:
    • Rioaribbasaurus is sometimes called Coelophysis.
      • This is heard by Arnold in Triassic Arizona and is also heard in the "Meat Eating Dinosaurs" photo album.
    • Allosaurus is sometimes called Antrodemus.
    • Apatosaurus is sometimes called Brontosaurus.
      • This is heard by Carlos in Jurassic Colorado and is also heard in the "Plant Eating Dinosaurs" photo album.
    • Centrosaurus is sometimes called Monoclonius.
    • Anatosaurus is sometimes called Edmontosaurus.
    • Albertosaurus is sometimes called Gorgosaurus.

Gallery[]

PaleoCards[]

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