Relic Entertainment and Microsoft have teamed up to give the RTS gamer something truly different to get their teeth into early next month. The concept of mixing and matching animals aside, what else does Impossible Creatures have to offer?

Graphically, Impossible Creatures seems more than up to the task - the screenshots and video footage seen to date suggest an immersive and detailed 3D world. A good thing too - what fun would merging an elephant and an ant be if you couldn't be entertained by the results? Fortunately, that isn't an issue here. The custom made 3D engine allows zooming to all levels of detail - from the top-down, traditional RTS viewpoint (think "command and conquer") right through to "oh my, look at those teeth" - and every step in between.

Control is especially important in a 3D RTS, so it will be very interesting to see if this clever little engine is as easy to drive as it is attractive to look at. Speaking of looking at it, check out six more new screenies...