The book is a handy companion to the excellent game, and can answer questions that you have as you play. Within the game there is a Vacation Director who can answer many of these for you.
The book is best for letting you into the little secrets that you may not discover by accident, such as the romantic moments to be had on the polar bear rug and how to design a good resort yourself.
Unfortunately, over half the book is based on the original Sims, which many players may already have mastered. It gives interesting tables on what is required for career advancement, for example, but players with Livin' It Up will find that the new careers added with that expansion pack are not included. This seems a bit strange considering Maxis always encourage you to install their games in release order, and with so many fans of the games one would assume that the Original Sims sections are redundant, as they were with me.
At the end of the day, I am glad I had this book to start me off on the game. If, like me, you spend a lot of time playing Sims, you don't want to damage relationships and waste their hard earnt Simoleons, because you will then have to spend time rectifying the situation when you get home. The tips in this book help you avoid these pitfalls.
