Running away with the Sims (The Sims (PC))

Member Name: Barking Mad

Product:	The Sims (PC)
Date:	04/10/04 (181 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, Entertaining

Disadvantages: Can get boring, addictive

Leila Wight lives with her husband Larry, and her children Kelly and Jack. They own a small 2 bedroom cottage with a pretty garden. Leila is a stay-at-home mum, but with dreams of being a famous Pianist, she practises every day on the small piano Larry bought her with his wages from his job in Politics (he hopes to be president one day). The kids Kelly and Jack both attend school on a daily basis and study on the computer after school.
While dad and kids are out at work Leila has another life, Craig Frances, from down the road in the big mansion, a handsome and rich hunk of a man, often comes round to visit, but they hardly just chat, their relationship is more than just mutual, in fact Leila loves Craig more than her own husband. But to add to the betrayal Craig often visits for dinner and is Larry’s best friend.
Of course Leila Wight isn’t real just another Sim in the world of Sims. I got the game about a year ago, and I very much loved it, since then I bought all the expansion packs, except for Makin’ Magic. The Sims is very addictive, too addictive. You are allowed to design your own family, buy and design their house, furnish and decorate their house then ruin their lives. Get them a job, buy them more belongings, move house, get more friends, get promoted and live the good life.
As you may be able to tell the game gets very repetitive, so you buy an expansion pack, I started with Hot Date, then I got Superstar, then Unleashed, On Holiday and finally House Party. You feel under pressure to purchase the next game and the next and eventually you’ve spent so much money and then you get bored and stop playing the game.
Now to get the boring bits out of the way,
System Requirements
Windows 95
223 MHz processor
32 MB of RAM
4x speed CD-ROM
255MB free HDD space
2MB Video Card with DirectX 7.0 drivers
Keyboard and Mouse
With that over, we can look at game play, it is all very easy to play once you get the hang of it. To start you must create your family, you do this by pressing the button at the top, then you design each person, choosing their looks, clothes, personality etc. Then you move them into a plot, you only have 20 simoleans so you must be resourceful, unless you know the cheats! To get a job you can use the newspaper with one job daily or you can buy a computer for a further choice of 3 more jobs a day. If you want a maid, and you will need one if your Sim is a slob, you will need a phone, the phone is also needed to employ a gardener, invite and phone friends, get a pizza phone the Police and Fire service, and trust me if you don’t have a fire alarm you’ll need the fir service on your speed dial.
If your Sims are after love you must bond them, you have the choice to fall for someone of the opposite sex or the same sex, and it is possible to have children, a man and a woman can have a baby naturally or the social services will phone you with the offer of an adoption, either way, you must look after the child constantly for 3 days, and you’ll become very upset and disheartened. If you forget about your child the social services will come and take the baby back. You get to name your child, but have no option in the sex.
Every 3 days you must pay the bills, decided on your expenses, you must pay the bills or they’ll come and get your furniture.
I would recommend this game, but since the release of The Sims 2 I fear you might be better getting that as it doesn’t sound so repetitive.

Summary: