Project Spark

Project Spark made a big splash when it was first shown off at Microsoft's E3 presentation in 2013. In a nutshell, it's a game-building tool that enables players to have the experiences THEY want to have. It doesn't stop there, though, as sharing tools mean that players can also have the experiences any number of other games have built, too.

There's a broad range of tools on offer, with options to endlessly customise the world and game you create. Starting with either a completely blank stage or a pre-made template, users can tinker with everything from the broad brushstrokes of design to the finer points of mechanics such as how fast projectiles fly. Project Spark lends itself to a range of different genres, from shoot-'em-ups to third-person adventures to side-scrolling platformers to twin-stick shooters.

It all comes packed with a cute, goofy veneer that makes it an appealing start for older children interested in design, or a great way for parents to build something for their kids.

Game builders can use a range of tools to get going, including the controller, a mouse and keyboard, Smartglass and even Kinect.

In this retail edition players get a host of content not included with the base download. That includes Champions Quest: Void Storm Adventure, Sir Haakon the Knight as a playable champion, the First Contact Sci-Fi theme pack, the Yeti's Rage content pack, the Artic Glaciers winter landscape, the Massive World Builder Pack expansion and one month of Project Spark Premium membership, which gets you access to content built with paid content and features above your current level.