The Sims 2 (PC DVD)

But be aware that they have used a protection mechanism from Macrovision that has caused problems for users with older CD/DVD drives and / or who use quite legitimate burning products like Nero.

It also insists that you run the game from an Administrator account. Note... not install, but actually run it. This is not just due to the poor quality Macrovision product but their own check coded into the game.

If you are the sole user of your system, with up-to-date hardware and adequate firewall and anti-virus protection in place then you probably won't mind having to use an Administrator account to run the game. But it isn't recommended practice and I certainly wouldn't want to give away complete system access in a family PC situation, so do bear this in mind.

These restrictions and limitations aren't printed on the box so I doubt if you'd manage to get a refund from your retailer if they tripped you up. If in doubt, read the forum posts on the official sims 2 website first to see if the few problems being reported may apply to you.

Othwerwise it's a good game that will be made even better by expansion packs and patches (hopefully an official No-CD and No-Admin fix by EA/Maxis themselves).

Many people criticise the game as being just the same as the original with better graphics but it contains so much more! For instance your sims now have fears, wants and goals in life so you actually have something to work towards unlike in the original where you created a sim and it didn't matter what happened! They also age for the first time. In the original the only aging your sims did was from baby to child. In this one however there are 6 life stages. Baby, Toddler, Child, Teen, Adult, Senior Citizen. The duration of each life stage depends on how high your sims aspiration counter is.

The aspiration counter is fed by how many wants and fears your sims accomplish. There are 3 stages on 'the good side' of the aspiration meter. There is green, gold and platinum. If your sims aspiration meter is platinum when they go through the aging process then they will live a longer life! However if your sims age while in 'the bad side' of the aspiration meter then their days on earth are sadly reduced! There is only 1 stage on 'the bad side' and that is bright red! If you fill up that entire side with the red colour then your sims will have a nervous breakdown which is amusing to watch but I doubt it's much fun for them!

Besides that there are also many other new features in the game.

*Your sims can place windows and doors on diagonal walls
*Your female sims finally go through the stages of pregnancy
*Your sims have memories now and react to other sims in the room
*Instead of just taking photos of your sims you can now make mini movies of them
*Your sims houses can now go up to 4 stories and can have porches/decking added to them

I pre-ordered this game and when it was released I spent hours on it and still do! You just simply don't get bored with this game because there is so much to do with it that it's not a case of "Well I've done that now what???"

The only downside I have with this game is that it really does need a powerful PC to play it properly. When I first got it my PC would play it but played it very slowly! It got to the point where it took almost 5mins just for my sim to walk up the stairs! However I invested in an Alienware PC which I do not regret as the game plays perfectly on it! If any of you out there are wondering which PC to play this game on you have to go with Alienware. They are expensive but believe me they are worth it!

I highly recommend this game to EVERYONE because unlike most other games The Sims legacy is marketed to all audiences. If you've already got this game and love it then you HAVE to buy the fantabulous expansion packs University and Nightlife (Sept05) which are yet again more great additions to The Sims family!

There are loads of new build and buy options (is it just me, or are the American makers obbsessed with 'colonial' style furniture?!). You can also customise most objects - changing the colour of lamps, for instance. The Sims can also do so much more with thier objects - for example, the can sit, lounge, nap or bounce on thier sofas, or 'gussy up' in the mirror. They can also cook specific meals - and there's more choices available to them each time they gain a skill point. Adult and elder sims can now, to the delight of many, I'm sure, play in bed (or 'whoo hoo!) in any bed, as well as Make Out,and Kiss. Naturally, they can also try for a baby.

Back to building, one of the things I love is the ability to have basements and attics -although I have to admit building realistic and athestically pleasing attic conversions is quite difficult. You can also have many floors, and roof terrences!
The catalogue is better organised -floors and walls are separated into different catagories, e.g. papar, paint, brick, or carpet, stone, tile etc.

The downtown, vacation islands and studio towns are all gone (as are pets, come to that) but the community lots are still available. Although these lots I have to say are rather boring - you can only build grocery and clothes shops - rather than the eleborate resurants, libraries, clubs and bars you could in the Sims 1. But hopefully they'll improve these factors a bit when the expansion packs come out.

The Create a Sim part is incredible. You can completely design your sims's face, to thier hair style, to the size of thier facial features and shape of thier face! There are also many clothing options available. It's disapointing though, that there are only the 4 basic hair colours available - black, brunette, blonde and red - you can't customise thier colour (I really wanted a purple headed punk for instance!) and you can't give them freckles!! I designed a house of my friends and designed 'us' all so realistically, apart for my freckled friend!

One thing I better warn buyers of though it the graphics and of course the high spec the game needs. I play the Sims 2 on my laptop, and I know it's not exactly a hardcore gaming machine, but the graphics do look good. However, my laptop only just meets the spec requirements, and I have to admit the game is very slow. It takes a while to load, to play the game, to zoom in and out etc, and that's with the lowest graphics settings.
However, when i play on my bro's top of the range computer, WOW! The settings look amazing, incredibly lifelike, and when you zoom in it's like being in the room with the sims! The game is also them gloriously smooth and jerk-free.

All in all, the Sims 2 is a great game, far better than the orginal in also every area. But you do need a decent computer, otherwise you'll soon get frustrated with the slowness and the jerking.
Another warning - don't play the game if you have work to do in the next few weeks because I guarentee you won't be able to tear yourself away from the game!