The moment the first dinosaur appeared on stage, my sons were entranced.

They suspended their disbelief to feel like they were back in the times when these great beasts ruled the earth.

A friendly palaeontologist transported us back some 65 million years with the help of many special effects as part of the arena spectacular based on the BBC TV series Walking with Dinosaurs.

There were shrubs, flowers and palm trees that grew, volcanos that erupted, lightning bolts and even a huge comet hitting the earth.

But it was the mechanics in the dinosaurs that really wowed the audience.

The way they moved, ate, roared and called all just seemed very, very real.

It was a pity they were on moving blocks, something that both of our children spotted straight away and asked about, otherwise you would have been hard pushed to say they weren’t the real thing.

Our boys are six and four, just the right age I think, although there were plenty of older children there who equally seemed to be getting a lot out of it.

It was something of an education, learning how palaeontologists work, how the earth changed and was formed, how the dinosaurs communicated with each other and ultimately how they were wiped out.

The constant presence of the palaeontologist was reassuring. There was never a moment when our children were scared, I think they could have been without him there.

The most thrilling moment was, of course, the moment we’d all been waiting for when the huge T-Rex appeared and roared ferociously at the audience, making us all jump.

A real spectacle.

* Runs until April 14. Tickets start from £25. To find out more, visit  www.thenia.co.uk .?