Creatures Adventures
Ages Everyone - but mostly kids

The Norns are multi colored, artificial life creature with big googly eyes and even bigger ears. They think for themselves but need attention and guidance from you to grow - and grow they do. And in the course of a little time, they mate and the female produces an egg which hatches into a baby Norn. To avoid the problem of overpopulation the oldest Norns eventually die, making room for more baby Norns.

The game is a limited side scroller but the passage of time makes if feel larger than it is. Day turns into night; the weather goes from sunny to partly cloudy to thunder and lightning; the seasons change bringing snow or a time for planting food. There is a haunted castle to explore, clouds to fly and puzzles to solve. And of course there is the nursery and eventually the final resting place.

A fairly complete guide comes with the game preparing parents for the mating, hatching, growing and eventual passing on of these creatures. There are options that allow parents to set limits on playing time, and games can be personalized with children's names and birthdates. Although the game is rated E - for everyone it is clearly designed to appeal to kids. How young? Parents will have to decide how each child will relate to birth and death. Might lead to some interesting talks.

Reviewed by: Genevieve 2/00