This article originally appeared in Pyramid #30

Evolution

Published by Discovery Channel/Crossover Technologies
Produced by Al Roireay, Greg Costikyan and others
$39.95

To survive, we must evolve. In the computer game Evolution: The Game of Intelligent Life, the end product might be Elepha sapiens. An elephant in a business suit is just one intriguing end of this simulation/game. A Discovery Channel Multimedia/Crossover Technologies product, Evolution shares the Discovery success strategy for straddling the road between education and entertainment. It's fun, and I actually learned something.

The game starts with an early Earth, and a few primitive vertebrate species wandering on it. They feed, and they evolve. Predators arise. Species clash for resources. Extinctions occur, disasters happen, plate tectonics alters the very face of the Earth, and eventually (with luck) intelligence arises. As one of the (up to six) initial "clades" on Earth, you want your species to be the intelligent ones, and rule the Earth. Clades are groups of species sharing a common ancestor - in this case, the initial species with which you begin the game. Naturally, the other clades (networked players or computer opponents) are your opposition. The war for survival begins.

Your species eat and breed on their own (pretty simple tasks). It is your job to relocate them, chart their evolution, select which traits should persist and generally tend to your flocks of someday-sapiens. Meanwhile, they wander about their feeding range in colorful animation . . .

This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.

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Article publication date: May 15, 1998

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