Howdy.

I'm thinking of gifting one of the Creatures games to my little sister ("little" figuratively speaking... she's over 20 by now...). The cuteness factor seems to be there, but she ain't really good with pc games.
How do these games play? Are they hard to learn or to control? Time consuming much? Is there a demo somewhere?

There really isn't a demo, but you could try Docking Station which is free for download at creaturesdockingstation.com. That is the downsized version of Creatures 3, which is frankly more complex then the first two.

The Creatures series is time consuming, but in an addictive good sort of way. People can play it many ways. Some of the more common ways are focusing on rearing or breeding (the genetics aspect).

If your sister isn't good with computer games, I would definitely recommend staying away from Creatures 2, because while it is not as complex, it requires downloading and a bit of research. The creatures in the game didn't get properly sorted out before the company released it, and you have to find third party solutions to supplement game play. To put it simply, it's buggy.

That said, there isn't a way to demo the first game, so I'll have to describe it to you. The first game is more hands on, you have to baby the norns. In Creatures 3, and it's add-on Docking Station, the creatures take care of themselves for the most part. You can walk away from your Creatures 3 game, and not expect everyone to be dead when you come back. Creatures 3 and Docking Station, in my experience, are better for players who are more interested in the genetics, breeding, and third party add-ons.

If you're looking for a cute game that's more about raising them and taking care of the creatures, go for Creatures 1, or for GOG.com, the Creatures Albian Years package. While you may not use Creatures 2, it's the easiest and cheapest way to get the first game.

Note: I ignore the existence of Creatures Village, which is the kid version of the game, because the game frankly look terrible and is nothing like the rest of the series. It's very dumbed down, but that just might be my childhood nostalgia talking. It never really fit into the rest of the series if you ask me, it's kind of a separate entity. (sorry if I just stepped on some toes...!)

Well put, CerluleanSilver! There are some videos out there that should be able to give you an idea of how some of the games play. I've always been a huge fan of Creatures 1: It takes some time getting used to it and figuring out how to take care of the Norns, but after that initial learning, the creatures are pretty easy to take care of. Oftentimes, they end up taking care of themselves... If you're lucky. Ha ha!

Creatures 2 is a bit complicated for someone new to the series, as previously stated. It's also the game in the series with the most bugs: Even with the GOG.com version of The Albian Years, I still run into issues from time to time. There are also many, many things to do and remember. It's a beautiful game, yet not one I would recommend for someone not familiar with the series. Luckily, if you buy The Albian Years, it includes both C1 and C2.

Creatures 3 and Docking Station are the newest in the series, and the ones that have the biggest number of third party add-ons. C3/DS can be complicated in some ways, but the creatures are more independent than in C1, for the most part. It really comes down to whether your sister would like to feel more attached to the creatures (C1) or would like to delve more into genetics and whanot (C3/DS). Again, CerluleanSilver had an excellent response!

Also, don't forget that Creatures 4 is in the works! It's not quite a continuation of the series, but it's definitely worthwhile to keep up with the news. If you have any other questions, I'm sure there are many who would be happy to help out! I can link you to some helpful videos, and there is already a list of excellent resources.

Good luck!

Ah, thank you both for taking the time to write these helpful posts. I bought already The Albian Years during last Christmas' sale, but I'm sure your informations will be useful to potential costumers. :)