So you've blasted your way through the single-player levels of Quake II, and you own the ether in deathmatch play. What can do you do to keep the action coming? Why not try your hand at creating your own levels? It's certainly easier now than ever before, thanks to the support of game developers like id who design their games so that they can be modified by the general public. There is also a wealth of information on the subject, in the form of several good web sites devoted to level editing. Each offers general guidance and specific tutorials for the aspiring designer. Finally, and most importantly, there are numerous level-editing programs to use. Of course, with all the software choices available to you, picking the right level editor becomes a serious issue. After all, you don't want to fork over $30 for a tool when you can't figure out how to use it.

In this roundup, we look at the three most prominent retail level-editing packages currently available: Virtus Corp.'s Deathmatch Maker 2, Valve Software's Worldcraft 1.6, and 3D Matrix's qED 2.0. Each is powerful and flexible enough to craft a professional-looking map for Quake II, but the differences between them are vast. For example, while Deathmatch Maker 2 offers the best 3D preview mode, Worldcraft 1.6 offers the best texture browsing and management support.

It was our goal to find the one product that offered the best combination of power, flexibility, and ease of use. After toiling with each product to build several test levels, we had little difficulty settling on the best one.

Next: Deathmatch Maker 2