You may not have wanted to rifle through an enormous mound of triceratop poo but few who saw Jurassic Park would have passed up joining Dr Ellie Sattler in stroking the poorly dino.

Obviously, being extinct, it was always a pipedream. That was until a miniature one was spotted scurrying across the news desks of the Medway Messenger.

A new KM Group app for tablets and phones has been designed to bring the past to life, with a handful of lizard-like species walking and roaring before your eyes.

Using a specially printed newspaper page and the camera on the device, the programme makes a 3D dinosaur appear wherever you are and it can be seen through the screen.

The app also allows pictures to be taken of the dinosaurs out and about and has received its first reviews from a group of children at Swingate Primary School in Sultan Road, Lordswood.

Teddy Keeble, seven, said: “It is amazing. I liked the noises and having them in my hand, it was funny. The pterodactyl was good but I want to try all the dinosaurs.”

With a couple of reporters to show them the ropes, the youngsters quickly caused Mesozoic mayhem with a brachiosaurus on the desk, a T-rex prowling the classroom floor and a pterodactyl flying into the teachers.

Mason Shephard, nine, said: “We have been learning about dinosaurs so I liked seeing them and I haven’t held one before. The brachiosaurus was my favourite, it was the biggest.”

Amber Clark, seven, said: “I liked the triceratops the best. It crawled onto my hand.”

Dylan Long, 11, said: “It’s so epic. This is the best app I have ever seen in my whole life. If I could only download one more app it would be this one.”

KMi3d can be downloaded free from Google Play or the App Store and the first dino ready to be brought to life will be printed on January 9 in What’s On.

To practise, this week’s What’s On features Santa Claus on page three, who comes to life using the app.

Simply grab a copy of today's paper and follow the instructions.