When you play Creatures, the future of a civilisation is in your hands. All that remains of the unique Norn species are six eggs. The Norns are an endearing, peaceful and playful race but without help, they're sure to die.

The Norns relied on their creators - a highly advanced scientific race called the Shee - to look after them. Now that the Shee have departed to explore new planets, you are the Norns' only hope.

Creatures 2 provides a fun and engaging experience as you watch the Norns hatch, grow and live inside your computer! Modelled on real biological principles, Norns can learn and think for themselves and even communicate with you as you help them explore the Albian environment.

From the moment you hatch a Norn and take a picture of its birth, you are responsible for teaching them how to speak, hunt for food and for monitoring their health, well being and encouraging them to breed. If they're ill or tired, check their chart and help them out! And, as with any living creatures, you'll get to know and understand their feelings and personalities.

Guide your Norns around their world. It's a magical world of underground burrows, cactus inhabited deserts, oceans, glass terrariums full of undiscovered life and a radioactive volcano. Albia is alive, complete with its own detailed ecology and weather systems. Sometimes, it gets so cold in the long winter nights that the oceans themselves freeze over!

But be careful, as you'll come across many dangers. There's poisonous fungi, lightning storms and deep, cold oceans that Norns can easily fall into. Even more worrying though are the vicious Grendels, a race of disease-ridden animals with no table manners whatsoever. As time passes, the Grendels become more daring and should the oceans freeze they get the short-cut route directly to your Norns, so beware!

With loving care and attention, your Norns will become adults and can breed for the first time on finding a mate. The new baby Norn inherits characteristics from both parents, just as in real life. You'll see that the Norn genetics evolve and mutate and pass their genes along to their offspring.

You'll have to help the Norns find the Shee's secret underground laboratories and the gene splicing machine. With it, you'll be able to help rid Albia of the dangerous Grendels forever. It may take many generations, but it will be worth it.

The website is full of exciting things you can download to help you in your quest to build a thriving Norn population, from the Life Kit to many free objects. There is even a Genetics Editor that allows you to tinker with the very building blocks of Albian life!

Creatures 2 gives you a unique opportunity to nurture your own artificial organisms. Some will die, some with thrive and all the time you'll be there to grow with them!