Creatures 3 to give Norns improved senses

The latest addition to the popular Mindscape artificial intelligence game series Creatures is due to arrive in November, and the game's life-forms, Norns, are to get increased brainpower and senses.

The new Norns have greater intelligence, a better sense of direction and can now detect scents. Which is nice. The game's set in outer-space, 1,000 years before Creatures 2, aboard a spaceship made up of several 'worlds'. The idea of the game, as in earlier versions, is to nurture and protect the Norns where you can, and let them learn, evolve and adapt to their surroundings, each using their individual biochemistry, brain and digital DNA.

Players can help the Norns by making use of new gadgets and machines to defend them against their enemies, the Grendels (stowaways on the spaceship), who have a fondness for Norn eggs. Objects can be combined to become weapons, and the players can then encourage the Norns to learn how to use them for defence.