Who remembers the movie "Babe?" That's right, the movie with the talking pig, who almost ended up becoming the other white meat dinner. Instead, he became a sheep herder, won a sheep herding competition, and got James Cromwell to say "That'll do pig. That'll do." Well now you get to do the same thing except your not a little porker, your a dog herding sheep in the new Xbox Live Indie Game Wool from Milkstone Studios.

The basic concept of Wool is very simple, all you have to do is herd the sheep into the gate before time runs out. That's all there is too it. Although the game sounds really easy in theory, it's actually a lot tougher than you think. As the dog, you must guide the sheep to the gate because the sheep are rather dumb and have no clue on direction. What you need to do is run over to them and bark at them. Once you do that, the sheep become scared and run away in the direction you want them to go. Now you can herd all the sheep together as a group and lead them to their destination...the gate.

Now just like any game, there has to be some difficulty involved. In the early levels, guiding the sheep to the goal is rather easy. Later levels will have lakes that are not fenced off which can drown sheep who fall in. This is where you must work a bit harder to guide a herd to the gate. If you see some sheep heading to the water, run over to them and bark at them because a wet, dead sheep basically means that your sheep herding job may be in jeopardy as you may get replaced by that pig in the movie. Also, you need to pay attention to the black sheep because they're not good at barking orders. These black sheep are known for doing their own thing. If your able to herd them, then your going to get some big bonuses.

While Wool is a very simplistic game to play, the real challenge in mastering the game comes in two areas. One of those areas is the clock. Each stage has a time limit to herd a specific amount sheep into the gate. If you don't get enough sheep in the gate, or the majority of them die in the water, then you have to start over. The good news is that if you do get the required amount of sheep in, then you can choose to abandon the other sheep to the virtual wolves (there are no wolves in the game, I'd just thought that I would add that in for kicks), or herd them for bonus points. The other challenging area is when the sheep move into a corner. When they move into the corners, they're tough to get out. This is enough to send you into fits of rage just like the old 8-bit days because that clock is ticking and the sheep aren't moving. A good idea to keep in mind is that before they reach a corner run to that corner and bark at them. This way, these sheep know you mean business.

While Wool will have most players playing the game in single-player, just remember that you don't have to play the game all alone. You and up to three of your friends can play the game's 30 levels in local co-op play. In a multiplayer game I played, it made the game feel like the board game Hungry, Hungry Hippos as we herded sheep into the gates while sometimes stealing my friends herd.

Overall, Wool is a fun and entertaining game. It's also an original concept that separates itself from all of the shooters and other shovelware that flood Xbox Live Indie Games. Best of all, it's only 80 Microsoft Points ($1.00) so it won't break the bank or leave a hole in your wallet. I suggest giving the demo a run, but take my suggestion and buy the game and prove that your better than that pig so that your friends can tell you "That'll do!"