

Using the mouse as your multi-purpose tool, you can manipulate the blob into a truly bizarre range of shapes and sizes. All creatures start as a strange blob with a spine floating above a small pedestal. Thanks to the intuitive interface, it's really quite simple to jump right in and get started playing god by molding your beings in any image (however grotesque) you might see fit. The flexibility given to players is impressive, and the creation utility's ease of use is more than welcome. These microorganisms of your own design will grow, adapt, and can be modified as they make the transition through five stages of evolution. The unique thing is they must nurture and grow their empire from a tiny microscopic seed. Spore will task players with building vast civilizations and eventually traveling beyond earthly confines to encounter life (and obliterate it if necessary) on other worlds. Spore Creature Creator hints at amazing things to come, but this news should be old hat for those who have been following the lengthy development cycle of Will Wright's unique evolution and life simulator. Though the internet has been flooded with user-made creatures both modeled after and containing voluminous amounts of "genitalia" - a quick search of "Spore" on YouTube reveals scores of amusingly disturbing creations - there are plenty of non-vile ways to utilize the robust editing program. The past week has seen an epic surge of creativity and depravity with the arrival of Maxis' Spore Creature Creator - a fun and handy utility that allows players to craft their own beasties to share and eventually import into the main game. The full version of Spore is still months away, but the masses huddled behind PC screens have found ample ways to keep busy as they wait in anticipation for its release.
