In between the latest chapters of Kim Possible and That's So Raven, Disney Interactive has been hard at work on its next mature epic. Hoping to resurrect what many have claimed to be a dead franchise, Turok sees not only the return of the series but also Disney venturing into a more adult marketplace. We went hands-on with the dinosaur-killing adventure and were blown away at how great it's shaping up.

Turok puts you in the shoes of highly-training clandestine operative Joseph Turok as he tracks down his mentor, Roland Kane. Traveling to a remote planet in search for Kane, Turok and his allies end up crash-landing on the surface. Now, Turok is forced to find the remnants of his group, combat against an onslaught of Kane's rogue forces, and contend against all manner of hungry dinosaurs.

We played a level set early in the game that had us controlling Turok as he made his way through a thick jungle. The game allows you to choose between a first-person or third-person perspective, although in keeping with series tradition, we played the single-level demonstration from the first-person perspective. Like previous installments in the storied franchise, Turok blends a bit of stealth in with its action; however, in this next-generation outing how you approach situations tactically is entirely up to you. Stealth usually affords a better chance of survival, yet if you'd rather rush in guns-blazing it's your prerogative.

At the start of the level, Turok faced a clearing in the jungle floor that was bordered to the west by a pack of Velociraptors, whereas a batch of Kane's soldiers could be seen in the distance. Chucking a flare attracted the attention of the dinosaurs, bringing them to the center of the clearing; in turn, this incited gunfire from the soldiers, wary of the Velociraptors' advance. The two ended up killing each other, leaving Turok free to proceed. In this instance, throwing the flare was optional and it would have been possible to sneak past the raptors and engage the soldiers or even battle the dinosaurs.

You'll have access to a number of different weapons including an assault rifle, pulse rifle, and combat knife that can be utilized for stealth kills. Most weapons have alternate fires, such as the pulse rifle that can chuck a disruptor grenade capable of routing enemies hidden in the volumetric glass lining the jungle floor. In addition, Turok can wield a compound bow capable of instant kills. The bow is tied to analog pressure on the right trigger, so a light press yields a weak shot, whereas a powerful blast can be done by fully depressing the trigger. Inspired by Halo, you'll have the ability to dual wield certain weapons in the course of the game.

Close-quarters combat will play a huge role in Turok, with interesting new stealth kills and context-sensitive combat sequences. Turok is able to sneak up behind enemies with his combat knife to execute a stealth kill; even better, you can pull these off on the dinosaurs--as long as you don't try it against something large like a T-Rex. Another intriguing addition is button-pressing sequences that occur when attacked by dinosaurs at close range. One particularly harrowing scene saw a raptor pounce Turok, prompting a quick rotation of the left thumbstick to kick the dinosaur back. No questions about the intensity of the game here…it’s pretty wild.

Beyond the single player campaign, Turok will offer multiplayer for a maximum of 16 players. Disney Interactive isn't revealing too many details right now, but plans on divulging more as the release date nears. We're particularly pleased that the company moved the date back from autumn to a nice, open February launch to avoid being drowned in a sea of holiday shooters. Plus, it gives us something to look forward to early in 2008.