Valve has released a beta version of the Authoring Tools for the PC version of its critically acclaimed first-person puzzler Portal 2. The tools, which can be downloaded by owners of the game for free from the Steam client, are the same as those used by Valve in the development of the game. Modders will be able to create both single player and co-op maps using both existing Portal 2 assets and their own models, character skins, sound effects and music. The new tools come with an updated version of Hammer, the Source level editor, and a number of example maps to help new users understand the tools more fully. Earlier in the month, Valve writer Erik Wolpaw discussed the ideas, influences and process behind Portal 2, noting that the developer "wanted to kind of broaden the audience and make it a fun game for people who hadn't played [the original]." In a recent Gamasutra feature, Rob Jagnow of Lazy 8 Studios took us behind the scenes of the Portal 2 ARG which lead up to the early release of Valve's highly-anticipated sequel.