If you have two PCs and want to make creatures on both you'll need this.
It's a real hassle to install Spore twice, so get spore on one PC, this on the other. Use a USB flash drive to port 'em from one to the other.

Although other reviewers have noted this, I would like to add my warning - this is NOT the full Spore game.

This is just a sub game from Spore, which allows you to mess about with the creature creator. While it has some point in the game (though not as much as they writers would have you believe), it just seems a bit of a waste of time when sold as a standalone product.

You might get, at most, 15 minutes of fun out of it, but to be honest, it's that's about it.

Avoid.

A family member installed this birthday present on my laptop w/o asking me. It installed but will not run on my Toshiba Satellite laptop. Instead an error is displayed saying the graphics card is not good enough to run it! I had the same problem with Microsoft WWII combat flight simulator.

I don't know if Creature Creator has the same undesirable Digital Rights Management issues as the main Spore game, as we never got to install that. But had I known, I would have barred installation of both, as it can supposedly interfere with CD-RW drivers. Both Spore & Spore Creature Creator will be returned for a refund, as not fit for purpose/not of merchanisable quality, leaving a very disappoint child & peaved parents & grandparents. :(

Read the American reviews. This game can only be activated 3 times because of rubbish DRM. Stick it EA.

Once reaching the space-age you realise that it is nothing more than a series of minigames, shoot pirates with your ship, do repetitive missions. There are no macromanagement features, you must attend your homeworld every time it is attacked, even if its capable of defending itself without you because they accuse you of not helping. This does not add a challenge, it adds boredom and frustration.

This also contains the malware SecuROM, this limits the installs of the disc to three, if you install it on 3 machines thats it your disc is now useless, if you upgrade your hardware 3 times your disc is useless, if you have to uninstall for space, if there are errors in installing the game they can all make the disc uselss after three installs, either forcing you to buy another copy, crack it or not play. Essentially EA are renting software which you are purchasing, here is how SecuROM works:

No installation option for SecuROM? Check.
Installed without my knowledge or consent? Check.
EULA for malware contained in a hidden directory so I cannot read it? Check.
Games bundled with SecuROM malware? Check.
Difficult for me to identify, locate and remove it? Check.

And the final nail in the coffin is the amount of bugs, including but not limited to:

* Random crashing (primarily in the Space Stage)
o Many cases is when zooming out to galaxy from Homeworld
o Dasmx86Dll.dll is the cause mostly.
* The bug related to the DasmX86Dll.dll file and the WINMM.dll file
o Also people have got the d3dx.dll error. (I think thats spelt correctly)
* SPORE not loading upon startup
* Unable to download user content
* License Server Issues
* Graphical Glitches
o Texture Corruption (In some cases, Major corruption)
o Main menu freeze
o Planet fine, Galaxy map just black (Toolbars etc still work)
* Mobile Graphics Card Issues (Even supported ones)
* Possible SECUROM issues
* Public Content / Buddy Sharing issues
* EA Downloader not detecting SPORE installation