The Sims // PC
The life you always wanted

// The skinny: Create, manage, and control the lives of computerized people in a miniature world.

// Review: This game killed my life for a week in a good way. The addictive gameplay had me sleepy in meetings from staying up too late and figuring out ways to come home early. You start off as one person with a little cash and a studio apartment and build your way up. You can upgrade you character by activities like practicing speeches in the mirror, working out, playing chess and thus improve your chances for job promotion so you can make more money and pimp out your crib. This game has something for everyone. Guys will be drawn in by being able to upgrade and acquire more stuff. Girls are all about relationships and you can get more friends by gossipping, flirting and partying etc.

/ A key element is maintaining you characters needs like having them go to the bathroom, eating, sleeping, being entertained, and you also have to cook and clean up after yourself. The cheaper your appliances and furniture are the longer it takes using them to meet a specific need, which mean less time to watch tv, sleep, or hop in the hot tub with a randy neighbor. Better job means more money which means plasma tvs and sub z refrigerators.

/ The animations are clever and there are so many elements to consider and things to do like create complex love trangles. You can even remodel your home, landscaping, wallpaper and even add burbur carpet. If you want to fast track this game, throw parties and flirt like mad. Eventually you'll fall in love, propose, and your spouse will move in and they combine their net worth with yours. Through marriages or new roomates you can amass a ton of big ticket items in no time.

// Wrap up: The cooking and cleaning got a little tedious but such is life.The only thing keeping this from the Pantheon is that I lost complete interest after a week. This game is really fun offline. I can't imagine how online play is. It's no surprise this game has spawned hordes of expansion packs. Everyone should try their hand at playing Kristoff at least once.

Entertainment rating: 5